Thread by @ColonyScotland

Nicola Sturgeon’s husband suggested that pressure should be brought to bear on police investigating Alex Salmond, according to leaked messages.
In a copy of a WhatsApp exchange seen by The Times, Peter Murrell, chief executive of the SNP, said that prosecutors having brought

charges left detectives in Scotland “twiddling their thumbs”.
The messages suggested that questions should be asked of the Metropolitan Police, who had been passed complaints about the former first minister’s alleged behaviour in London.
In one WhatsApp message sent on

January 25, 2019, the day after Mr Salmond was first charged with multiple sexual assaults, Mr Murrell said: “Totally agree folk should be asking the police questions . . . report now with the PF on charges which leaves police twiddling their thumbs. So good time to be

pressurising them. Would be good to know Met looking at events in London.”
In response to Mr Murrell’s message, a senior member of the SNP said: “TBH [to be honest] the more fronts he is having to firefight on the better for all complainers. So CPS action would be a

good thing.”
Kenny MacAskill, the SNP MP and a former justice secretary in Mr Salmond’s government, said that he had been posted a copy of the messages. He has passed it to the Holyrood inquiry into the Scottish government’s unlawful investigation of complaints against

Mr Salmond and the Crown Office.
“I would like the Scottish parliament and the Crown Office to investigate the contents of this document,” he said.