Alex Salmond goes to war with BBC over RBS 'leak'The First Minster accuses Nick Robinson of heckling him and demands the Corporation cooperate with a leaks inquiry over RBS's announcement it would move its headquarters to England following a Yes vote.An irate Alex Salmond today declared war on the BBC after the Corporation disclosed Royal Bank of Scotland’s decision to move its headquarters to England if there is a Yes vote.
The First Minister dismissed the economic significance of announcements by RBS, Lloyds Banking Group, Tesco Bank, TSB and Clydesdale Bank to re-domicile south of the Border, saying they only meant moving “brass plates” instead of jobs.
He refused to accept it was a damning verdict by some of Scotland’s largest employers over his plans for the country’s currency after separation. The banks’ share prices increased after their announcements but Mr Salmond suggested this was a coincidence.
Instead he argued the most important issue was starting a leaks inquiry into who from the Treasury briefed the BBC – which he wants to abolish after a Yes vote -about the RBS announcement.
Mr Salmond directed a tirade at Nick Robinson, the BBC’s political editor, who repeatedly challenged him to answer questions about the economic impact of RBS’s decision.
He accused Mr Robinson of “heckling” him at a press conference in Edinburgh for international journalists covering the independence referendum while a group of his Nationalist supporters cheered his broadside.
In an extraordinary performance, he attacked major Scottish employers such as Standard Life and BP for colluding with the UK Government to undermine independence.
In a separate BBC interview, he appeared to concede that he had not factored in the tens of billions of pounds of sterling reserves the Governor of the Bank of England said he would require using the pound without a formal currency union
Mr Salmond said the BBC’s disclosure of the RBS decision on Wednesday night was a matter of “extraordinary gravity” and he was writing to Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary and head of the British civil service, demanding an investigation.
Mr Salmond said the BBC’s disclosure of the RBS decision on Wednesday night was a matter of “extraordinary gravity”
The First Minister, a former RBS economist, told BBC Radio Scotland: “What concerned me is not the impact on jobs because there will be none … what really concerns me is how this information was released to the BBC.”
Accusing the Treasury of a leak, he said: “It is part of a political gambit during this referendum campaign from the United Kingdom Government. Perhaps the BBC today will investigate or even reveal who that source was."
At the later press conference, he referred to a medieval cannon at Edinburgh Castle as he accused the Government of leaking the announcement.
Mr Salmond said the Treasury had fired the “Mons Meg, the great gun in Edinburgh Castle at the Scottish people (only) then to find it so spectacularly blowing up in their face” as a leaks inquiry would have to follow.
But Mr Robinson asked about the economic impact of the banks’ decision, adding: “John Lewis’s boss says prices could go up, Standard Life’s boss says money will move out of Scotland, BP’s boss says money will run out.”
He questioned why voters should believe Mr Salmond instead of men “responsible for billions of pounds of profits.” But, to applause from his Nationalist aides, the First Minister said Mr Robinson should explain the BBC’s role in the leak.
Mr Salmond said the change would not affect a separate Scotland’s corporation tax receipts, referring to a letter to staff by Ross McEwan, the RBS chief executive, saying jobs and operations would not move.
Coinciding with a visit to Edinburgh by David Cameron, Standard Life announced plans to move savings, pensions and investment operations to England on Wednesday and BP and Shell said it backed expert warnings oil will all but have run out by 2050.
“There’s clear evidence while the Prime Minister was busy telling us what a wonderful nation we were, his business adviser desperately trying to get any business he possibly could to say something negative,” he said.
To more applause from his Nationalist aides, he attacked BBC coverage of Lloyds’ decision to move its headquarters to London, saying the bank has always been based in the UK capital.
Brandishing the BBC story, he said “you Nick or one of your colleagues” was responsible, saying the leak was “as serious a matter as you possibly can get”.
He was again applauded by his aides as he said: “I know the BBC in its impartial role as a public sector broadcaster will give full cooperation to that investigation.”
Mr Salmond attempted to move onto the next questioner but Mr Robinson repeatedly challenged him to answer his question, prompting the First Minister to attack him.
“This has been a lively campaign across Scotland with heckling at many meetings across Scotland. This is the first opportunity the BBC have had to heckle at a meeting,” he said, laughing to himself, before repeating his demand the Corporation cooperate with an inquiry.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -leak.html
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