Chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has come under increasing pressure to outline his involvement in the closure of RAF Leuchars amid allegations he may have broken the ministerial code.
North East Fife MSP Rod Campbell made the explosive claim as controversy continued to rage over how the decision to axe the Fife base was made by the UK Government.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been asked to investigate accusations Mr Alexander, a Liberal Democrat MP, used his political influence to close Leuchars in order to save RAF Lossiemouth.
Mr Alexander’s Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey seat borders the Moray base and many of his constituents work there.
On Monday Mr Campbell suggested Mr Alexander could be in breach of the ministerial code, which states ministers must “avoid any conflict of interests” when dealing with issues which impact on their constituency.
“Fighting for your constituents is one thing, but to do it from within government is completely against the rules,” he told The Courier.
“If Danny Alexander used his position as a minister to influence the decision then he will be in breach of the ministerial code.
“If Danny Alexander received government papers or briefings on the bases review, if he talked to the MoD in his role at the Treasury and if he played a part in government in deciding the economic impact of closure then he will be in a clear breach of the ministerial code.
“If Danny Alexander played any role as a minister in any of the decisions that led to the closure of Leuchars in order to protect Lossiemouth then he will have clearly broken the rules.”‘Remarkable coincidence’The furore follows an unprecedented attack on Mr Alexander by his party colleague Sir Menzies Campbell, the North East Fife MP, over how the government’s defence review was conducted.
The former Lib Dem leader implied Mr Alexander interfered in the basing review to “assist (his) political credibility” in his parliamentary seat.
“It’s a remarkable coincidence that these decisions should have been thought to assist the political credibility of the chief secretary to the Treasury, or is it?” said Sir Menzies.
The accusation was the culmination of an increasingly bitter feud between the Lib Dem politicians, which earlier in the summer forced party bosses to bring them together for a clear-the-air meeting.
The row continued over the weekend when Labour’s Dunfermline and West Fife MP Thomas Docherty revealed he had written to the MoD demanding an investigation into the claims.
But the suggestion by Mr Campbell that the ministerial code may have been breached will further heighten scrutiny on Mr Alexander’s role in the decision to axe Leuchars.’A lot of questions to answer'”The SNP argued for both Leuchars and Lossiemouth because both bases served key strategic roles,” he said.
“Danny Alexander only had Lossiemouth on his mind and in what seems to have been an increasingly bitter battle with the Lib Dems he may have sacrificed Leuchars in order to protect Lossiemouth.”
He added, “No-one would wish closure on either base. But the Lib Dems have a lot of questions to answer about their minister’s role in the process.”
The Courier contacted Mr Alexander’s office on Monday for a clarification of his role in the basing review but was referred to a statement released by the Treasury.
“These decisions were rightly driven first and foremost by military considerations,” a spokesman said.
“In addition minimising the economic impact on communities was instrumental in the decision-making process.
“Overall, these decisions represent a very strong renewed commitment to Scotland by the British armed forces.”
Leuchars is scheduled to become a brigade headquarters for the army.