Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon told to stop 'knocking hell out of each other in public'

Mr McLeish said the country needed to get “back to some normality”.

The former Labour first minister, who was forced to resign in a scandal 20 years ago, also said it was unlikely that Ms Sturgeon would be forced out too.

Ms Sturgeon is facing calls from the Scottish Tories to quit over possible ethics breaches, and the opposition party has threatened a vote of no confidence in her.

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But Mr McLeish said there was “no serious path” towards either a resignation or a no confidence vote succeeding.

His intervention comes after Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon gave lengthy and contradictory oral evidence to the Holyrood inquiry into the Government's bungled  sexual misconduct probe into Mr Salmond in 2018.

Mr Salmond had the exercise set aside in January 2019 after a court challenge, forcing the Government to admit its investigation had been “tainted by apparent bias”.

He was awarded £512,0000 in legal costs.

Former First Minister Henry McLeish

MSPs are trying to find out what went wrong in the Government, why ministers took so long to concede defeat in court, and if Ms Sturgeon broke the ministerial code.

They have complained of persistent Government obstruction throughout their work.

A separate independent investigation is also underway into whether the FM broke the ministerial code which will give a definitive ruling on the matter.

Ministers who break the code are expected to resign, but Ms Sturgeon has repeatedly refused to say if she would do so if she was found to have broken it.

Mr Salmond has accused his successor of breaking the code and claims her allies and husband were part of a plot to destroy and even jail him, while Ms Sturgeon has accused him of living in an “alternative reality” and failing to apologise for his "inappropriate" conduct with women. 

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland this morning, Mr McLeish was asked about the impact of the row between the past and present first ministers on Scottish politics.

He said: “It’s not something we would want to have because quite frankly it casts a shadow over the parliament, it casts a shadow over the Government, and it gives people at Westminster... it allows them to make mischief at Scotland’s expense.

“This is something I hope we don’t see again.

“In terms of performances of Salmond and the First Minister, the First Minister I think has rebutted most of the challenges, the assertions, the allegations that have been made.”

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He went on: “In my view, there is no path, no serious path, towards the First Minister either resigning or in fact suffering with a vote of confidence in the parliament.

“What we should be doing now, for both the committee of inquiry at Holyrood and the separate inquiry into the breach of the ministerial code, for them to be completed as soon as possible, get on with the election, and then get Scotland back to some normality.

“That’s a long-shot in a way, but on the other hand, we can’t continue to see two distinguished, prestigious people knocking hell out of each other in public.

“That’s got to be left behind.

“I hope at the end of all of this the parliament, the government learn lessons. That’s the important thing. 

There are reforms required and that should be the first priority after we get this initial mess sorted out.”

Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond 

Mr McLeish, 72, was a Labour MP and MSP who became Scotland’s second first minister in October 2000 after the death of Donald Dewar.

He was forced to resign just 13 months later after a financial scandal over the sub-letting of his Westminster office and failing to disclose all his tenants. 

The Holyrood inquiry into the Salmond affair is due to meet later today to discuss last minute evidence submissions from the Government, Mr Salmond and the Crown Office.

Mr McLeish's comments were later echoed by Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross in an online event with the Bright Blue thinktank.

He said: "It’s damaging the SNP brand because clearly people don’t know who to trust. There’s so much lies and deceit clearly at the heart of Government.

“Nicola Sturgeon couldn’t defend why her party and Government had blocked so many attempts by this [Holyrood inquiry] to get to the truth.

“But more importantly for me it’s damaging Scottish politics. It’s damaging the reputation of our parliament.

"At 22 years old, we still have a very young parliament in Scotland and people expected far better than this.

"I think that the saddest effect of the past few days is how it’s really dragged down the Scottish Parliament and the reputation of Scottish politics.”