A Scottish Government adviser on ministerial ethics has resigned over remarks made by Alex Salmond and his justice secretary.
Veteran politician Lord Steel said he had been “appalled” by statements made by the First Minister during a row over the role of the UK Supreme Court in the Scottish legal system.
Mr Salmond provoked widespread criticism in June when he said Lord Hope of Craighead, the deputy president of the court, made judgments in favour of the “vilest people on the planet”.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill was also criticised after threatening to remove funding for the court, saying: “He who pays the piper picks the tune.”
Now Lord Steel, the former Holyrood presiding officer and Scottish Lib Dem leader, has resigned as an independent adviser to the ministerial code in protest at the language used.
It emerged over the weekend that former lord advocates Lord Fraser, a former Angus MP, and Dame Elish Angiolini would take over after Lord Steel and George Reid stepped down.
Lord Steel revealed he had resigned several weeks ago but agreed not to comment until his replacement had been announced.
He said: “The reason I relinquished the role was that I was appalled by the language being used by Alex Salmond, Kenny MacAskill and an authorised spokesman towards the judiciary on the Supreme Court and the secretary of state.
“I told Alex that I hoped this was not the way they were going to continue now that they had an overall majority, because if so I expected a growing number of complaints against ministers.”
He added: “I wish Peter Fraser and Elish Angiolini both of whom I hold in high regard well in taking on this task, with the hope that their services will not be too often required.”
Labour leader Iain Gray said the resignations were a “severe blow” to the First Minister.’Disturbing’He said: “The ministerial code must be rigorously enforced at all times, so the fact that these resignations were kept hidden for so long is disturbing.”
Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said he was “not surprised” by the decision and warned of the dangers of the SNP’s unprecedented parliamentary majority.
He added: “He (Mr Salmond) has every opportunity to bulldozer now.”
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Murdo Fraser said: “When the referee walks off the pitch because he is fed up with the petulance and intemperate language of the team captain, the answer is not simply to appoint a new referee.”
A spokesman for the government said: “The First Minister is extremely grateful to Lord Steel for his service as an independent adviser to the ministerial code for three years and we wish him extremely well for the future.”
The independent advisers system was devised in 2008 to enable the First Minister to refer complaints made under the Ministerial Code. Lord Steel and George Reid have discharged the role since then, during which time they considered three complaints against the First Minister, all of which were dismissed.
Mr Reid said he resigned after being appointed as Lord Lieutenant for Clackmannanshire.