Mundell criticised for refusing to say what he knew of 'Frenchgate' memo

Scottish Political Editor

THE Tory Scottish Secretary has been dragged into the continuing row over the 'Frenchgate' memo after ducking direct parliamentary questions about his own knowledge of it.

David Mundell refused to say when he first saw or became aware of the memo, which wrongly suggested Nicola Sturgeon wanted David Cameron to remain Prime Minister.

Written by a Scotland Office official in March after a meeting between Sturgeon and French Ambassador Sylvie Bermann, the memo was leaked to damage the SNP during the election.

Despite denials, the then LibDem Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael and his special adviser Euan Roddin were later identified as the culprits. Four of Carmichael's constituents are now pursuing legal action to have his election as the MP for Orkney & Shetland declared void.

However there is suspicion at Westminster than Carmichael and Roddin were not the only politicians or special advisers who knew of the memo or its dubious content.

The Cabinet Office, which ran the inquiry into the leak, and the Scotland Office have both refused freedom of information requests about who else saw the memo.

Peter Grant, SNP MP for Glenrothes, tabled Commons written questions about its distribution.

He asked Mundell, Carmichael's coalition junior during the leak, "whether he was sent a copy of the memo", "when he first became aware" of it, and when he first knew it was leaked.

Mundell responded last week, but conspicuously failed to answer the first two points.

He said he first knew of the leak when the Daily Telegraph ran a story on it, but did not address his personal knowledge of the memo itself.

Grant, who is seeking a Westminster Hall debate on the issue, condemned the evasion.

"David Mundell has refused to answer the very simple question I asked - was he sent a copy of this infamous memo? It is a basic factual point, yet at every stage the Scotland Office has refused to divulge who was on the copy list. We need to know why it is seeking to cover it up."

A Scotland Office spokesman said: "The Secretary of State for Scotland first became aware of the memorandum leak when it formed the basis of a story in the Daily Telegraph on 3 April.

"The findings of the Cabinet Office enquiry made clear only the former Scottish Secretary and his Special Adviser had any involvement in the leaking of the memo."