Rishi Sunak has been reported to the police in Scotland following a joke he made regarding Nicola Sturgeon during his speech at the Conservative party conference.
During his marquee speech, Mr Sunak made a reference to the former SNP leader who was briefly arrested and questioned as part of the Operation Branchform investigation into her party’s finances.
In his speech, Mr Sunak said: “Nicola Sturgeon wanted to go down in the history books as the woman who broke up our country but it now looks like she may go down for very different reasons.”
Following his speech, Chris McEleny, the general secretary of the pro-independence Alba party, said he had reported the Prime Minister to Police Scotland for contempt of court.
“Operation Branchform should be free to pursue its investigation fearlessly without interference from Rishi Sunak,” he said.
“The Prime Minister is commenting on, and making an assumption about a live Police Scotland investigation.
“In Scotland, contempt applies from arrest, not from charging. Operation Branchform is investigating serious matters of the utmost importance to Scotland and trust in politics.
“It is too important a matter to allow interference from the Prime Minister in this act of contempt when many people await the facts of Police Scotland’s investigation.”
Police Scotland is investigating after independence campaigners complained that £600,000 donated to the SNP had gone missing from party accounts
The former SNP leader was arrested in June as part of the investigation into the SNP’s finances but, after being questioned for seven hours by police, she was released without charge and has denied any wrongdoing.
Downing Street said it would not be commenting. Police Scotland has been contacted for further comment.
