A FORMER Scottish cabinet minister has claimed the SNP is “totally united” despite the extraordinary public feud raging between Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.

Alex Neil was likened to “Comical Ali” after the remark, a reference to the hopeless propagandist who denied Saddam Hussein was losing the Iraq War in 2003.

Mr Neil, a former Health Secretary under Ms Salmond, called last week for a public inquiry into the collapse of the Scottish Government’s sexual misconduct probe into his old boss.

The government’s admission that its investigation had been unfair unleashed a wave of briefings by sources close to Mr Salmond against Ms Sturgeon’s top official and aides.

On Monday, Ms Sturgeon claimed her predecessor’s allies were trying to “smear” her.

However Mr Neil, the MSP for Airdrie & Shotts, insisted all was well within his party.

He told BBC Radio Scotland there was no “civil war” in the SNP, although it was having a “sad episode”.

He said: “We have a highly respected former leader and highly respected leader, and clearly in relation to this matter they have had their differences, there's no doubt about that.

“We are certainly a totally united party - although this issue has to be resolved, one way or the other."

However senior SNP sources privately admitted that the breakdown in relations between Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon was unprecedented and harmful.

Mocking Mr Neil, one told the Herald: “He’s the new Comical Ali.”

The nickname for Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, Comical Ali was the Iraqi propaganda minister who famously denied US tanks were in Baghdad amid the sounds of combat.

The Scottish Tories were also unconvinced and demanded a Holyrood inquiry into Ms Sturgeon’s conduct, including her meeting Mr Salmond while he was under investigation.

MSP Annie Well said: “It’s nothing short of remarkable to see Nicola Sturgeon and her mentor embark on this type of public warfare.

“The public deserve to know what Ms Sturgeon did and didn’t know about this, and what her most trusted staff member did and didn’t know.

“Only then can they assess the degree to which she got involved in a case she’s prohibited from meddling in.

“And worst of all, the two brave women at the heart of this campaign have to look on as their case is sidelined in the name of SNP civil war.”