Alex Salmond’s niece has accused Nicola Sturgeon of tarnishing her uncle’s reputation when he is no longer able to defend himself in order to promote her memoir.
Christina Hendry told BBC Radio Scotland on Monday: “If my uncle was here today, these things would not be being said. I believe they’re being said because he’s not here to defend himself, as he would have done with every fibre of his being.”
Sturgeon’s political partnership with her predecessor as first minister, who died suddenly of a heart attack last October at the age of 69, dominates her memoir, Frankly, which was published last week.
She describes tensions that existed between them long before their catastrophic falling out over her government’s handling of sexual harassment complaints against him, claiming that he opposed equal marriage, overrode her concerns about releasing the Lockerbie bomber and had several extramarital affairs.
The former Scottish National party leader stood trial in 2020 on 13 counts of sexual assault and was cleared of all charges, although a pattern of bullying and inappropriate behaviour towards younger female staff emerged in court.
Asked what she believed was motivating Sturgeon, Hendry said: “There’s been a number of years that these things could have been said, and the timing of it now where she’s released a book and is looking to publicise that, I think many people have thought that could be the case.”
Sturgeon writes in Frankly that she “agonised” about “stirring up pain for [Salmond’s] wife and family” but concluded “I cannot let what he said stand unchallenged”.
She addresses in detail the theory espoused by Salmond before his death that the harassment allegations were part of a conspiracy confected by Sturgeon’s inner circle – but then advances her own theory that Salmond himself may have leaked the initial revelations to the Daily Record, a claim immediately rejected by the journalist who broke the story.
Her treatment of Salmond in the memoir drew immediate fire from his allies last week, with some demanding retraction and an apology to his widow, Moira.
On Sunday, Moira Salmond revealed she had instructed lawyers to continue her late husband’s legal action against the Scottish government over its botched handling of the investigation into the original sexual harassment allegations. She was reportedly galvanised by the claims made in Frankly.
Hendry said: “Our family are most definitely united on continuing the things that my uncle started before he passed. As a family, we are very close and we’re very strong and we will continue to do anything we need to do to defend his name.”
She also confirmed her plans to run for Holyrood next year for Alba, the party set up by Salmond in 2021 after he quit the SNP, which challenged its failure to deliver a second independence referendum.
“I intend to stand to both honour my uncle’s legacy, but also because I understand a lot of frustrations that rural communities like the north-east have.”
