Salmond: I seriously doubt Sturgeon and I will be on speaking terms again

The pair formed the most formidable political duo of the devolution era when they served as first minister and deputy first minister of Scotland between 2007 and 2014.

But complaints about Mr Salmond’s conduct while in office, both to Scottish Government officials and to the police, led to a bitter split between them.

Mr Salmond successfully took legal action against the Government for its handling of the investigation into him, while he was also cleared at the High Court in Edinburgh of allegations of sexual impropriety.

A Holyrood inquiry into the handling of complaints against Mr Salmond called both the former first minister and Ms Sturgeon – who was at that point still serving in the role – to testify in two marathon sessions.

Mr Salmond accused those at the highest echelons of the Scottish Government of a plot against him, something Ms Sturgeon called “absurd”.

In 2021, Mr Salmond launched the Alba Party, which has spent much of its existence criticising the SNP – headed by Ms Sturgeon – and subsequently two of her key allies in Humza Yousaf and John Swinney.

Speaking in a BBC documentary, Salmond And Sturgeon: A Troubled Union, about the fracturing of their relationship, Mr Salmond said he was unsure it could ever be mended.

“I don’t really do hurt feelings very much … but it’s a big regret that Nicola and I are no longer on speaking terms,” he said.

“And I seriously doubt if it’s going to improve.

“Now that’s a great pity, because I did indicate that you shouldn’t say anything is forever, but that’s the way it looks and that’s just the way it’s going to be.

“We’ll just have to let the past take care of itself.”

Reflecting on her relationship with Mr Salmond and its breakdown, Ms Sturgeon – who unexpectedly resigned in 2023 – said he was “for a long time, a very positive force in my life”, adding: “But I think I had to learn how to be myself.”

Ms Sturgeon also reflected on the long-running inquiry into the handling of harassment complaints by the Scottish Government, which criticised her Government – saying she was in “turmoil inside”.

The inquiry’s final report found she had misled the inquiry over a meeting with Mr Salmond in her home in 2018, where he was left with the impression she would “intervene” in the process if necessary.

The then first minister, however, was cleared of breaching the ministerial code and beat a vote to oust her.

The saga around the handling of complaints against Mr Salmond, which the Court of Session said was “tainted with apparent bias”, made the Scottish Government look “incompetent”, former first minister Humza Yousaf said.

The process led to Mr Salmond being awarded more than £500,000.

The two-part series will be on BBC iPlayer from Tuesday, as well as being broadcast on the BBC Scotland channel on Tuesday and Wednesday.