Exclusive:Alex Salmond 'believed SNP HQ hired private detective to spy on him'
A new book claims the former first minister feared he was under surveillance by the party he once led
Alex Salmond believed someone within SNP HQ hired a private detective to spy on him, according to bombshell claims in a new book published today.
Joanna Cherry KC, the ex-SNP MP, said the former first minister even warned her that she might be under surveillance herself.
The extraordinary claims, contained in Ms Cherry’s memoir Keeping the Dream Alive, have been flatly denied by the SNP.
Ms Cherry was the MP for Edinburgh South West from 2015 until 2024, during which time she became one of the SNP’s highest profile politicians and latterly a thorn in the side of its leadership.
She was an outspoken critic of Nicola Sturgeon and a close ally of Mr Salmond, whose own relationship with Ms Sturgeon broke down spectacularly in the wake of sexual misconduct claims made against him.
Mr Salmond, who died in 2024, was cleared of multiple sexual assault charges following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in 2020.
Over the weekend, Ms Cherry revealed she had quit the SNP after becoming “absolutely disgusted” by the party and “ashamed” of being a member. She accused John Swinney, the current leader, of failing to implement the Supreme Court ruling on biological sex.
In her new book, Ms Cherry recalls being the subject of a bullying complaint from a former staff member in 2019, which was referred to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner (PSC). Details were subsequently leaked to the press.
She writes of effectively blackmailing Ms Sturgeon into backing her as she feared for her career, leading to the pair becoming "sworn enemies”. Ms Cherry was later cleared by the PSC.
“It’s hard to explain what it’s like to be ashamed in relation to something you haven’t done,” Ms Cherry writes. “It is also hard to describe the degree of stress which I was living under at this time. I had to seek medication from my GP in order to keep functioning.
“Alex Salmond advised me that he understood somebody at SNP HQ had engaged a private detective to spy on him and I should be alert to the possibility that they might also have a private detective spying on me.
“Fraser [Thompson, her chief of staff] advised me that they would likely go through my bins and I shouldn’t put the boxes in which my medication came in the bin in case this was used to smear me.
“This is perhaps not as fanciful as it sounds now that we know that male SNP staffers spied on female SNP MSPs at Holyrood.”
The latter is a reference to revelations in The Scotsman that an SNP MSP’s office was ‘bugged’ by her own staff member. In December, Holyrood chiefs confirmed they were aware of two historic cases “of this nature”, but stressed no covert devices were involved.
The Scotsman asked the SNP if it had any knowledge of anyone within party HQ hiring private detectives, and whether it would investigate Ms Cherry’s claims.
A spokesperson said: "This claim is simply not true."
During a campaign visit in Edinburgh on Wednesday, Mr Swinney told journalists he did not intend to read Ms Cherry’s book. “I’m busy with the election campaign,” he said.
Asked about Ms Cherry calling him a "coward" over the Supreme Court ruling, the First Minister said: “Let’s examine the basis of what that point was.
“That point was that I hadn’t addressed the issues in the Supreme Court judgment, and I completely and utterly and unreservedly reject that accusation, because I think it’s not true.”
In an interview with The Times at the weekend, Ms Cherry said: "As I was writing this book, I realised I've become absolutely disgusted by the SNP, and ashamed of being a member.
“It doesn't mean I don't support independence - I still do. I didn't resign publicly because I may rejoin at some point in the future, but I made it clear that if I was asked whether I am still a member, I will tell the truth."
She said it seemed the Scottish government intended "to continue ignoring the law" on women’s rights, referring to the Supreme Court's ruling that the words sex, man and woman in the Equality Act 2010 refer specifically to biological sex.
"Swinney is still too afraid to lay down the law in the party and say 'it's time to accept that gender identity ideology is not part of the law',” Ms Cherry said.
“But a leader shouldn't be a coward. And John Swinney should have the courage to use the Supreme Court ruling to make the changes that are required."
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