SNP insiders accept that Sturgeon’s public grilling will raise the row higher in the public’s minds
With the Scottish parliament elections only eight weeks away, the immediate political cost of the Salmond saga to the party he led for over two decades may be evident soon enough.
There has been much commentary about whether this crisis is cutting through to voters. Nicola Sturgeon enjoys a high approval rating, largely because of her perceived competence in handling coronavirus, and the public are understandably focused on more pressing concerns related to the pandemic. But party insiders accept it is inevitable that these high-profile evidence sessions will have a greater impact on the public consciousness than earlier, more technical, committee sessions.