AN EX-SNP staffer has told how Alex Salmond would often “left rip” at co-workers and admitted that he left her in tears after an “outburst”.
MSP Linda Fabiani made the claims in a BBC documentary on the Salmond-Sturgeon years.
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And she said that he often left wine and chocolate for her in her office to apologise whenever he gave her a “hard time”.
Separate claims about Mr Salmond’s alleged bullying have previously been made public.
In the documentary, Nicola Sturgeon says: “You wanted to be in the room with him, but he would have outbursts. His temper sometimes was out of control, ran away with him.
“Alex was tough to work for.”
And Ms Fabiani, who became Europe Minister under Mr Salmond when the SNP won power in 2007, told the programme that she was “shocked” the first time it happened to her.
She said: “Alex would just let rip. The first time it happened to me, I was so shocked.
Alex would just let rip. The first time it happened to me, I was so shocked. If I’m being honest, a little bit tearful on the way home
Linda Fabiani
“If I’m being honest, a little bit tearful on the way home.”
However, she said that she did not consider his behaviour to be “bullying”.
She added: “Yes, he was tough to work with and I didn’t consider what he was doing with me bullying.”
On how Mr Salmond would try to make amends, Ms Fabiani said: “It was interesting how Alex dealt with you after he’d given you a really hard time — just appear suddenly in my office and I would think, ‘ah, this is his way of saying sorry’.
“There was the odd time where he would come in with a bottle of wine or chocolate and just stick it down.”
Humza Yousaf also appeared in the documentary and claimed that Mr Salmond was guilty of “abuse of power” on a string of occasions as First Minister due to his behaviour towards female staff.
Mr Salmond’s behaviour while in power came under the spotlight again, more than four years after his criminal trial at the High Court in Edinburgh where he was cleared of 13 sex charges involving nine women.
In the case, Mr Salmond — married for more than 30 years at the time of a series of alleged incidents — admitted that he’d “lapsed into a sleepy cuddle” with one of his accusers on his bed in Bute House in 2013.
He also admitted to stroking another woman’s face while she slept, and tugging her hair on occasions.
In the BBC documentary, Mr Yousaf — who led the Scottish Government from 2023 to 2024 — says: “So the question isn’t about criminal behaviour, the question then becomes the behaviour that Alex has admitted as First Minister.
He would have outbursts. His temper sometimes was out of control, ran away with him. Alex was tough to work for
Nicola Sturgeon
“And as somebody who’s been in the office of First Minister — in 99 per cent of the meetings you go into, if not 100 per cent, frankly, you are the most important person, the most powerful person in that room.
“Now, you can choose to use that power appropriately, or you can abuse it.
“And on too many occasions, given the behaviour that Alex has admitted, there was too many instances of that abuse of power.”
HOW TO WATCH
SALMOND and Sturgeon: A Troubled Union is a two-part documentary that airs tonight on BBC.
Viewers can watch it on BBC Scotland at 10pm tonight and tomorrow.
It is also already available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.
The broadcaster says the documentary “reveals the inside story of a political partnership that took the SNP from a party on the fringes to one that achieved a level of electoral success that sent shockwaves through the British political establishment”.
They added: “This series chronicles the history of the modern SNP and reveals how the party reshaped Scottish politics.”
In the first episode, the story begins in the immediate aftermath of the Scottish independence referendum.
While the second episode shows the aftermath of the 2017 general election and the events that followed.
The documentary features interviews with both Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, along with key allies and advisors such as John Swinney, Humza Yousaf, Liz Lloyd, Geoff Aberdein, Roseanna Cunningham and Kenny MacAskill.
Mr Salmond tells the documentary: “The first minority SNP government was entirely collegiate. The culture and the comradeship was excellent.
“The atmosphere in that government couldn’t have been better.”
In 2018, when the first claims about his behaviour towards women emerged, he admitted he was “no saint”.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
In 2021, after he won a civil case challenging the SNP Government probe into his conduct.
At the time, he said: “I am not guilty of any criminality.”
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