Fresh questions have been raised over the conduct of Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander after it emerged that a meeting linked to former Labour minister Peter Mandelson was not disclosed for more than a year.
The issue centres on a meeting involving a lobbying company associated with Lord Mandelson, which Mr Alexander has acknowledged attending after taking advice from the former Labour figure.
According to recently released correspondence, Mr Alexander exchanged letters with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer regarding the matter and apologised for the non disclosure.
The SNP has seized on the development, arguing that the Scottish Secretary has serious questions to answer about the circumstances surrounding the meeting and the delay in declaring it.
The party’s Westminster leader Dave Doogan said the situation raises wider concerns about influence and transparency within government.
Dave Doogan MP said:
“Douglas Alexander has now admitted that his very first thought and very first action as a government minister was to seek the advice of the disgraced Peter Mandelson, his position is now every bit as untenable as Keir Starmer’s.
“The fact that Douglas Alexander, a friend of Peter Mandelson has now been supposedly cleared by Keir Starmer, a friend of Peter Mandelson shows complete contempt for the public who have watched the chaos of the Mandelson scandal unfold.
“The recent revelations of gushing messages between Douglas Alexander and the disgraced Peter Mandelson confirmed just how close these two men clearly were, every new piece of evidence also reveals just how deep Peter Mandelson’s rotten influence reached across the entire Labour Party.
“Anas Sarwar clearly wasn’t the only ‘old friend’ that Peter Mandelson had in Scottish Labour, it is becoming apparent to the public that Mandelson was a pivotal player right across the Scottish Labour leadership.
“Douglas Alexander seems just as determined to cling on to his job as Keir Starmer, but ultimately their fates will be the same.
“Their resignations and removals are now only a matter of time.”
The latest row comes amid continuing political debate at Westminster over standards, lobbying and ministerial transparency, with opposition parties calling for further scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the meeting and its disclosure.
