First Minister misled no-one, says Henry McLeish

Former first minister Henry McLeish said Alex Salmond has not misled voters about not taking legal advice on an independent Scotland joining the European Union.

In a television interview last night Mr McLeish defended the First Minister, despite conceding it had not been a good week for the SNP, or for Mr Salmond.

He said: “I don’t think he’s misled. But he hasn’t handled the situation well.”

And in a veiled attack on Labour leader Johann Lamont’s call for a judicial review he said: “I think our energy, our focus, could be used in better ways because at the end of the day this is unlikely to happen. There are far more important areas where Labour could win many converts from the public and score political goals.”