The SNP minister at the centre of a “dirty tricks” row over the Scottish Labour leader’s past has denied he had anything to do with the alleged leak.
Richard Lochhead made his first major public appearance last night since his party was accused of releasing detailsof Kezia Dugdale’s approach to the Nationalists for work experience.
The rural affairs secretary told The Courier after a hustings event: “I didn’t go to any newspaper about this nor did I ask anyone to do so on my behalf. It’s not my style.”
He added it was “common knowledge in Holyrood circles” that Kezia Dugdale had applied for posts at the SNP, “including to my office in 2003”.
He said parliamentary circles “seems to be where the story has come from”. Mr Lochhead added: “Clearly I missed an opportunity in taking on a talented politician.”
Details of Ms Dugdale’s request 13 years ago to volunteer as a researcher for Mr Lochhead, who was her local MSP, were published in the Scottish Sun this week.
The alleged leak of confidential data has been referred to the Information Commissioner by Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Willie Rennie.
Ms Dugdale said on Wednesday that she feared this was the beginning of a “dirty tricks” campaign by the SNP.
She added she had “absolutely zero recollection” of making the application, which was said to have been penned in February 2003 while she was a law student in Aberdeen.
Mr Lochhead made his denials to The Courier as he faced questions from farmers angered by the Scottish Government’s botched handout of Common Agricultural Policy payments at the National Farmers’ Union Scotland hustings at Ingliston.
Ian Sands, a Perthshire farmer and regional chairman at NFUS, said it was not just farmers who suffered from the CAP delays, adding the impact had been felt across rural communities all the way down to local storekeepers.
He added: “This is social engineering.”