Tories demand Salmond quits seat
By politics.co.uk staff
The Conservatives have called on Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, to resign his seat in Westminster amid claims he “misled” voters about his role as an MP.
Mr Salmond has claimed he is one of “the top 10 hardest-working Scottish MPs” despite having to combine his roles as both an MP and MSP.
Official figures show that in the last two years he has the worst voting record of any Scottish MP and Scottish Conservative leader, Annabel Goldie, has said he is letting down his constituents.
“In the two years that Alex Salmond has been an MP and an MSP, his attendance at Westminster, his speeches, his voting record are consistently amongst the worst in Scotland,” said Ms Goldie.
“He must start acting like a statesman, like a first minister fit for office.
“He should stop misleading the people of Scotland. Alex Salmond should resign as an MP now to concentrate on being first minister.”
She accused Mr Salmond of making “empty boasts” about being the voice of Scotland in Westminster.
Mr Salmond’s voting record in 2007-8 was just nine percent, the lowest of any Scottish MP. In addition he made seven speeches and tabled 33 questions.
Yet, on the Scottish parliament’s website, he boasts: “I consistently rank in the top 10 hardest working Scottish MPs based on data from the parliamentary online information system.
“This encompasses speeches in the chamber, tabling of motions and the submission of questions.”
A spokesman for Mr Salmond said his claim was based on his record since 2005, which includes the two years he was not an MSP.
