A FORMER leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has said he is "very disappointed" with the actions of Alistair Carmichael but has backed him to continue as an MP, accusing the SNP of "abject hypocrisy" in calling for him to stand down.

Tavish Scott, who has worked closely with the former Scottish Secretary as MSP for Shetland, spoke out following calls for Mr Carmichael to resign for authorising a leak of a civil service document in which it was claimed that Nicola Sturgeon had told the French Ambassador that she wanted David Cameron to win this month's general election. Mr Carmichael denied knowledge of the leak, before an investigation found that he had in fact given the go ahead for his special advisor to pass it to a newspaper. He has since apologised and accepted the claims made in the memo were untrue.

Mr Scott said that he had been "let down" by his colleague's actions, and accepted that many members of the public in the Orkney and Shetland Westminster constituency felt the same way.

He added: "Alistair's handling of this matter is not the Alistair I know. The Alistair I know worked with hundreds of Shetlanders to keep Sakchai Makao out of the hands of the UK Home Office and in his adopted home of Shetland. The Alistair I know worked with coastguard staff to save the Lerwick station.

"The Alistair I know was frustrated by high petrol prices at home and did something no one else had ever down - got petrol taxes cut for the Islands. So I have spent the time since last Friday wondering why he made such a serious mistake and one that he knows will cost him the trust of many people."

Mr Scott added that there were "two options" facing the former Secretary of State. "The first is he resigns," he said. "The SNP will have won. Few seem to see their abject hypocrisy. Salmond blatantly lied about legal advice on Scotland's membership of the EU. The difference between Alistair and Salmond is Alistair has confessed and apologised.

"So Alistair could resign. Many are demanding that but the political motivation of the SNP and the yes campaign is obvious and increasingly personal and unpleasant. I detest mob rule and that is what this now looks like. It is not the Shetland I know. The second option is that he listens to his constituents, real Shetland folk who will give him a fair hearing.

"If he can demonstrate that he can get back to being a determined, effective local MP then people will accept that. Alistair has a long road to recovery with many people. But he should walk that road."

However, Mr Scott's intervention, which follows the backing of Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie, will not convince the SNP with the party heaping pressure on to Mr Carmichael. The party was defeated by less than 900 votes in the general election, meaning they would be favourites to win a by-election should the MP stand down in disgrace.