TWO MPs who jumped ship to the Alba party have defended Alex Salmond’s behaviour with women while he was first minister.

Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey said Mr Salmond was a “giant of the Yes movement” when asked if they thought he was the best person to lead their new party.

The pair defected to Alba shortly after it launched last month, and are seeking election to Holyrood on the list. 

In a court trial, the married 66-year-old was found not guilty of 12 charges of sexual assault, including one of attempted rape and another charge of assault with intent to rape was not proven.

During the trial however the former First Minister did acknowledge having consensual sexual relations with a female colleague, stroking another’s face while she was asleep and having a “sleepy cuddle” with a subordinate.

When asked if they thought his behaviour was appropriate for someone seeking re-election, Mr MacAskill, Alba MP for East Lothian, said: “He is a giant of the Yes movement, he's the man that created the modern SNP, he's the man who delivered the referendum and got us as close as we've ever been to independence.

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“He has been, you know, acquitted by a jury, supported by the court in terms of his complaints against the Scottish Government, and on that basis I stand with him and indeed, the position is also confirmed by both the Women's and the Equalities conveners from the SNP coming over and standing shoulder to shoulder with him, Neale, myself and others.”

Mr Hanvey also backed Mr Salmond, and claimed he had been “exonerated” by the Holyrood inquiry into the Scottish Government’s handling of the saga.

He said: “He's not been found guilty of any crime. In fact if anyone was exonerated by the Holyrood inquiry, it was Alex. He answered every question incisively, he didn't forget, he didn't blame somebody else, and he didn't dodge questions. He answered everything. I think he was the one that was exonerated. That process was flawed, not because of anything that he did.

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Mr Hanvey added: "I don’t live by innuendo, but I don't think that anyone's perfect, and I know that there are some people who want to drum up negativity.

“They should maybe look at their own lives and their own personal histories before they start chucking stones at other folk.”

When it was pointed out that some people were not “drumming up negativity” but expressing concern about Mr Salmond’s acknowledged behaviour and the standards expected of people in public life, Mr Hanvey said: “The public are free to vote for whoever they want and if the public don't want to vote for someone, they won't.

“We have a bar in law, either you're found guilty or you're acquitted - there's not proven and not guilty. They're both equal in terms of their standard. I think there's a debate going on that is less about the law, and more about innuendo.”

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Mr Hanvey then expressed concern about the SNP’s handling of more recent scandals, and suggested he himself had been treated more harshly than others within the party.

The MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath was suspended for six months after posting anti-Semitic material online, which he apologised for in 2019. He had to undertake a re-education course and was readmitted in 2020.

He said: “There are decisions that I'm uncomfortable with that may have been made by other politicians, in particular the attempt to suppress the news about Derek Mackay.

“I found that bewildering. I don't think that's a defensible thing at all. I find that astonishing.

“When you've been dragged through the media for a serious issue I take that issue incredibly serious, I apologised and done my penance and have built really good relationships in Westminster on the back of that.

"But for that kind of transgression to be treated so harshly and then something as profoundly serious as the accusations against Mr Mackay to be somehow secreted away, and again we've got further allegations in the Westminster group that seem to have been dealt with in a much softer way, that's troubling.”

AN SNP spokesman said:"Mr Hanvey's claim is completely untrue and at odds with the facts - the reality is that within hours of serious allegations being presented to the SNP about Derek Mackay’s behaviour, he had resigned from the government and been suspended from the party.

"By contrast, the fact that both of these two men, much like Alex Salmond himself, have failed to even acknowledge the serious inappropriate conduct of the former First Minister while he was in office speaks for itself."