Salmond furore emphasizes issue of liquor in politics UK | News

One of the two claims against him is related to an alleged incident late at night in Bute House, his grace and favor residency in Edinburgh, after an engagement in which Mr Salmond had been drinking.

He would have ordered a female assistant to accompany him to his bedroom and repeatedly offered her alcohol, despite the fact that she refused countless times.

According to the Daily Record, he told the woman to lie down in bed and lie on top of her, kiss her, and touch her breasts and bottom by touching her clothes.

Dr. James Nicholls, director of research and policy development at Alcohol Research UK, said the furore should emphasize drinking culture in Scottish and British politics.

He said: "Alcohol consumption among politicians is often high, which may be due to the stress of the role, but also relates to heavily drinking cultures in politics." Alex Salmond must be credited with making important steps in the modernization of alcohol policy in Scotland. with a view to reducing damage.

"But that's no excuse for improper behavior when the reports are right, just as Mr. Salmond's party has invited the people of Scotland to revisit their relationship with alcohol, perhaps the time has come for politicians in Scotland and in the United Kingdom, do the same. "

When the claims came to light for the first time last month, Salmond refused twice to answer questions about whether he had been drinking at the time of the alleged incidents.

When asked if he drank too often as the first preacher, he replied: "I try to strive for my life as well as possible, I am in no way a paragon of virtue and I have never claimed to be that."

During his office, Mr. Salmond led a crusade against the drinking culture in Scotland with legislation such as a limit for driving under drinks, minimum prices and a ban on multibuy promotions.

In 2014 he said: "There is something deep in Scotland's relationship with alcohol that is about self-image – lack of trust, perhaps as a nation – and we need to do something about it."

Both political allies and opponents say that Mr. Salmond was not known as a heavy drinker in Holyrood or Westminster, although he is known to have occasionally enjoyed a glass of wine or champagne.

Despite the rumors that he & # 39; s night in Bute House drinks all night with members of his inner circle, insiders claim that Mr. Salmond & # 39; too much control & # 39; had to drink too much.

A Scottish journalist said, "I think he likes a drink, maybe a glass of red wine like a Rioja, but he's nothing like an alcoholic, I had lunch and dinner and it was nothing special for his generation. I've been out with politicians who drank a lot more than he did. "

And a Scottish member of parliament said, "He would not have been the first to come to mind if you asked me to name the heavy drinkers in the SNP." You might see him in the Members Smoking Room now and then, that only MPs but he is not someone you would always find in Strangers & Bar;

"He was not someone who socialized with the other parties, he was not a club and he always stayed in his group.That said, when he came back to Westminster in 2015, he was a slightly different character, I think he enjoyed the freedom of his position a bit more. "

Before he lost his seat last year, Mr. Salmond was often seen as a well-known on the terrace of the House of Commons next to the Thames, which is traditionally a Tory meeting point. He ordered pink champagne during lunch interviews and last year he was even spotted with champagne during breakfast in the first-class lounge at Heathrow.

Most nationalist colleagues drank in the rowdy Sports and Social Bar and last bar manager Alice Bailey said last year that she was presented with sex by drunk MPs, most of the SNP or Labor, at least 30 times in four years.

Last night, a spokesman for Mr. Salmond said he would make no further comments.

Meanwhile, the former prime minister has completed his controversial crowdfunding campaign after having raised more than £ 100,000 to help finance his legal challenge against the Scottish government

The call for money to help with his lawsuit on how the accusations of sexual harassment were handled against him was launched when he dramatically stopped the SNP.

But after his heavily criticized financing action had twice increased his target of £ 50,000, Mr. Salmond announced that he would close it.

He said: "Thank you very much to the thousands of people who have received support, we will now continue with the challenge to keep the procedure legal. All resources will be used exclusively to support the judicial review.

"If we are successful in the Court of Session, there are probably significant surplus funds and, as I promised, every penny will go to charities in Scotland and beyond."

However, a source near Mr. Salmond said yesterday that legal fees can amount to a quarter of a million pounds.

The friend said, "If it's going to prove that it can take three or four days, that's £ 250,000 easy, and he does not have that kind of money, he's not a rich man, he's donated a lot of money to good causes, and RT is not a big payer contrary to what people say. "

Mr. Salmond was informed in March of an investigation by the Scottish government, after two complaints about his behavior had been submitted in January.

The accusations date from 2013, while Police Scotland has already confirmed details that have been passed on to the force.

Mr Salmond said he wanted to ensure that the procedures were "fair and lawful" and insisted that his right to confidentiality be violated.

On Friday, lawyers from the Levy & McRae office confirmed that a petition for judicial review had been served in the Court of Session.

The Scottish government has promised to "vigorously defend" its position in court and says that there are "a number of inaccuracies in Mr Salmond's public statements".

When the crowdfunder was closed, he had raised £ 100,007 from 4,146 supporters in three days – with people who gave an average donation of just over £ 24.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives said: "Alex Salmond should never have forced money from the SNP supporters in the first place.

"His legal action has nothing to do with independence, but he used the case to convince the party to cough.

"It was rude and certainly not a former prime minister of Scotland."