Vote against MacAskill and I'll quit, threatens Salmond

ALEX Salmond has threatened to resign, along with the rest of his government, if opposition parties go ahead with an unprecedented vote of no confidence in his justice secretary.

Last night, the ministerial career of justice secretary Kenny MacAskill was hanging by a thread after a furore over the escape of a prisoner once dubbed "the most dangerous man in Britain".

For the second week running, opposition parties were considering a vote of no confidence in the minister, with only an act of brinkmanship by the First Minister standing in their way.

The Scotsman has learned that a vote of no confidence would have been tabled this week had Mr Salmond not made it clear his government would resign, probably forcing an unwanted election. He has let it be known that he will not countenance opposition parties deciding the composition of his cabinet, and there are fears that if Mr MacAskill were forced to resign, similar votes on his colleagues would follow, starting with education secretary Fiona Hyslop – recently branded the Scottish Government's "weakest link".

It was clear last night, however, that opposition parties were considering calling Mr Salmond's bluff.

Labour's justice spokesman, Richard Baker, said: "It is now clear Kenny MacAskill is not fit for purpose. Time is running out for Kenny MacAskill as he oversees one blunder after another."

It is understood all three main opposition parties will be considering over the weekend supporting a vote of no confidence.

The issue last week was Mr MacAskill refusing to accept the will of parliament and ignoring a vote on setting up a new community court in Glasgow to deal with low-level crimes. But MSPs were even more furious this week over his inaction regarding the escape of Brian Martin on Monday.

The dangerous criminal, known as The Hawk, who is convicted of gun crime with a record of going on the run from the police, had been put into Castle Huntly open prison just three years into a ten-year sentence. It emerged that Mr MacAskill had only got round to sending a letter yesterday morning to Mike Ewart, the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, three days after Martin had gone on the run.

And Mr MacAskill, who had refused to speak on the issue until yesterday, resisted calls for an inquiry.

Opposition MSPs have pointed out that certain criminals, such as Martin for example, were not supposed to be allowed in the open estate of Castle Huntly after Robert Foye escaped in 2007 while serving a sentence for attempted murder and raped a 16-year-old girl.

The many blunders of controversial justice secretary …

KENNY MacAskill's tenure as justice secretary has been riddled with gaffes and controversy.

• He failed to introduce the 1,000 new police officers promised in the SNP manifesto until the Nationalists were forced to do it to winTory support for their first budget.

• He went to Canada instead of attending a conference on knife crime in the parliament.

• He became a passionate advocate for measures to tackle alcohol partly because, in 1999, shortly after becoming an MSP, he was arrested for being drunk and disorderly at Wembley before an England-Scotland game, which he was attending as a Tartan Army member.

• He wants to replace short-term sentences with community punishments, saying prisons as "a bit of a skoosh". But he has failed to fund the scheme properly, and criminals often wait months before carrying them out.

• He has failed to get on top of fiscal fines, with only half paid.

• He has extended early releases, although much of the legislation was brought in by other governments. It means someone on an 18-month sentence may serve just three months.