THE three main unionist parties joined forces last night to ensure Alex Salmond has to explain his role in the Donald Trump golf resort saga to the Scottish Parliament.
Labour decided to back a Tory move – which already has the support of the Liberal Democrats – which would initiate a parliamentary inquiry into the Scottish Government's approach to the plans.
The local government committee would require the Firs
t Minister to give evidence to explain his role in the affair, in particular providing details of his meeting with Trump officials the day before ministers announced they were "calling in" the development.
The committee is due to meet today to arrange its business for the coming parliamentary session.
David McLetchie, the Tory MSP on the committee, is expected to propose an inquiry, and this is then expected to be backed by the three Labour MSPs and the one Liberal Democrat MSP, a clear majority.
Labour leaders are still adamant that a minister should explain the administration's role in parliament, and they will continue to press for that.
But, given that their chances of success are slim, the party has decided to back the Tory move as the best way of holding Mr Salmond to account.
Jackie Baillie, Labour's parliamentary business manager, said Labour was now "supportive" of the Conservative proposals.
But she added: "We will ask again for a minister to come before parliament and make a statement. The longer this drags on, the more questions are asked, the more likelihood there is of a judicial review of the planning application. The government is responsible for creating that degree of confusion."
A Scottish Government source said that Mr Salmond was happy to come to the committee to give evidence.
He said: "The First Minister has previously said that he is very open and available to parliamentary committees, and is perfectly relaxed with this, as ministers and civil servants have conducted themselves totally correctly throughout.
"There is no difficulty with this suggestion, subject to nothing being done to prejudice a live application currently before ministers, and of course Mr Salmond has no role in the planning decision of this proposed development."
John Swinney, the finance secretary, is the minister responsible for calling in the application and he will make the decision next year on whether the £1 billion development in Aberdeenshire will go ahead.
Meanwhile, opposition politicians are expecting a flood of parliamentary answers from ministers today and tomorrow on the plans.
MSPs from all the opposition parties tabled written questions to ministers last week, asking for exact details and timings of meetings between ministers and Trump officials.
Ministers do not have to answer these questions until next month, but it is understood that officials are working hard to get them answered by the time parliament rises for its Christmas recess tomorrow.
• Mr Trump was yesterday accused of jumping the gun on the planned development in his latest book for budding business moguls.
Trump 101 The Way to Success lists "Aberdeen Golf Club, Scotland" in a section on Trump Organisation golf clubs.
A spokesman for RSPB Scotland, one of the environmental groups opposing the Menie scheme, claimed: "The fact that Mr Trump can publish a book which states that not only does he own a golf course in Aberdeen but also implies that it is consented, constructed and operational, gives a very clear signal of the regard with which he holds the decision-making process and the decision-makers themselves."
The full article contains 588 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
