The First Minister said he would be happy to attend the event months after saying he felt 'distant' from Salmond.
First Minister John Swinney has refused to say if he will attend a memorial service for the late Alex Salmond . The SNP leader said he would be happy to attend the event but added that he would “judiciously follow” the wishes of Salmond’s family.
However, a row has broken out over who will attend Salmond’s funeral as well as a later memorial service. A source said Nicola Sturgeon, who fell out spectacularly with Salmond, would be banned from both events. He told Sky News: “I will do whatever is appropriate as First Minister of Scotland. I will pay the appropriate tributes. I will lead the motion of condolence in the Scottish Parliament. And if it’s appropriate for me to be at a memorial service I will do exactly that.”Sturgeon and Salmond did not speak for years after her Government investigated claims of sexual harassment against him. The probe was ruled to be unlawful and Salmond had wanted Sturgeon to intervene at an early stage.
Scottish politics We asked Swinney in June how he felt about a man he worked with for decades. “Distant,” he replied, after a long pause. Asked how that made him feel, he said: “It doesn’t really put me up or down.”
SNP John Swinney Nicola Sturgeon Scottish National Party Aberdeen Scottish Government
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