Alex Salmond slams Humza Yousaf over 'abuse of power' claim

Former first minister Alex Salmond has hit back at Humza Yousaf over 'abuse of power' claims made in a BBC documentary.

Yousaf, who was once a member of Salmond's staff, accused his former boss of overstepping while he was in office.

Now Salmond has issued a furious riposte, dubbing Yousaf "Humza the brief" over his short term in Bute House and calling him "an unfortunate footnote" in the history of the SNP.

The row follows the release of footage from Salmond and Sturgeon: A Troubled Union, a two-part documentary from BBC Scotland which begins tonight.

The programme looks at the breakdown of the relationship between Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, who once led the Scottish Government together as FM and DFM.

The documentary features contributions from key figures including Liz Lloyd, a former special adviser to both Salmond and Sturgeon, and ex-justice secretary Kenny MacAskill, who left the SNP to join Salmond's Alba Party.

Yousaf, who was first minister from March 2023 to May 2024, entered Bute House after Sturgeon's shock resignation and was replaced by John Swinney.

He told the programme that the FM is normally the most powerful person in the room, adding: "You can choose to use that power appropriately or you can choose to abuse it.

"And on too many occasions, given the behaviour that Alex has already admitted, there was too many instances of that abuse of power."

Salmond and Sturgeon's relationship collapsed after complaints emerged about his conduct in office.

In 2020, a jury acquitted him of all charges of sexual assault following a criminal trial. In a separate civil action, he was awarded £500,000 over the Scottish Government's internal handling of the allegations against him. The process was found to be "tainted with apparent bias".

Responding to Yousaf's comments on social media, Salmond said: "What can be said about poor Humza 'the brief', the new self-appointed authority on personal conduct and morality?

"In a programme which was supposed to be about the history of the rise of the SNP, a party defined by towering figures like Winnie Ewing and Neil MacCormick, Humza Yousaf confirms himself as an unfortunate footnote.

"In his quest for relevance, he is reduced to smears. I am comfortable with my contribution as first minister to advancing Scotland’s interests and the cause of independence. I doubt Humza can say the same, nor that it will be said of him."