Alex Salmond acquittal: SNP faces damaging split amid claims of a conspiracy – Ian Swanson

ALEX Salmond was careful to avoid a triumphalist tone when he emerged from the High Court after being cleared of all charges at the end of his sensational two-week trial.

He said his acquittal on 13 sexual offence charges involving nine women had reinforced his faith in the courts system and insisted that evidence which he had not been allowed to use would eventually see the light of day; then he said any nightmare he had been through could not compare with the nightmare of coronavirus and urged everyone to make that their priority now.

But the former First Minister and his supporters believe there was a conspiracy against him and they are not going to let the matter rest.

There have been calls for resignations and independent inquiries, talk of a “reckoning” to come and Mr Salmond is also apparently writing a book about it all.

When the coronavirus crisis subsides, the fallout and delayed repercussions from the Salmond trial are certain to become an early focus of political attention.

The target for Mr Salmond’s supporters is Nicola Sturgeon, Mr Salmond’s successor and one-time protégé. She was his deputy for a decade and used to describe him as her mentor and great friend. But the saga over the sex allegations against him ended that relationship.

Mr Salmond claimed during the trial that some of the allegations against him had been “deliberately fabricated for political purposes” or “exaggerated out of any possible proportion”.

Sturgeon above party politics for now

Factions in the party have now formed around its two most prominent figures and the potential damage is huge.

The former First Minister, who gave up his party membership when he was charged, will now seek readmission to the SNP and is said to be planning a return to Holyrood, standing perhaps in Aberdeen at next year’s Scottish Parliament elections.

One story last week even suggested he could become deputy leader of the SNP if Edinburgh South West MP Joanna Cherry, one of his allies, were to replace Ms Sturgeon – though friends of Ms Cherry were quick to laugh the idea off.

Some argue Ms Sturgeon is under little threat. Coronavirus allows her to rise above party politics for a while; her handling of the crisis has been widely praised and it is likely to help her consolidate her position in next year’s elections.

But it would be a mistake to underestimate the bitterness of some of Mr Salmond’s backers and the depth of feeling in the party.

Salmond ‘not just a leader’

Mr Salmond still has huge support – witness the £100,000 he quickly raised with his crowd-funding appeal to pay his legal costs for last year’s judicial review.

One of the women who claimed he assaulted her told in court of her difficulty in telling anyone about it because Mr Salmond was so adored. She said: “It is hard to explain to people just how well thought of he was in our party. He was everything. He was not just a leader, he had taken the party so far.”

The weakness of the Tory and Labour opposition at Holyrood means the SNP is unlikely to lose power any time soon, but the iron discipline which maintained party unity for so long is now falling apart in spectacular style. The long-term consequences for the party and its cause could be serious indeed.