NICOLA Sturgeon has called on the Tory MP David Davis to apologise for spreading a conspiracy theory on behalf of Alex Salmond and his “old boys club”.

The First Minister criticised the former Brexit Secretary for his intervention in the House of Commons on Tuesday evening, and suggested he was "shifty".

Underscoring the rift with her predecessor, she also hit out at "Alex Salmond and his cronies".

Using parliamentary privilege, Mr Davis read out leaked confidential text messages he said showed a “concerted effort” by Ms Sturgeon’s husband and others in the SNP against Mr Salmond.

He said the texts, which a Holyrood inquiry into the Salmond affair has refused to publish, showed SNP chief executive Peter Murrell and others encouraging police complaints against Mr Salmond in late 2018.

Mr Sturgeon raised the matter at FMQs when asked about the Salmond affair by Holyrood Tory leader Ruth Davidson.

She said: "Having David Davis, a Tory MP, reading out in the House of Commons under the protection of parliamentary privilege, his old pal Alex Salmond’s conspiracy theories about the sexual harassment allegations against him must be the very epitome of the old boys club.

“I have to say holding this government to account is vital.

“But anyone who chooses to cheer that on should not pretend to have the interests of the women concerned at heart.”

It followed Ms Davidson claiming scandal was now “engulfing” Ms Sturgeon’s government.

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A Holyrood inquiry is looking into how the Government botched its probe into sexual misconduct claims made against Mr Salmond in 2018.

The former first minister had the exercise set aside in a judicial review, showing it was "tainted by apparent bias", and receiving £512,000 in legal costs.

Ms Davidson asked if, as Mr Davis claimed, a legal document was suppressed by Government officials in the course of Mr Salmond’s judicial review in late 2018.

Ms Sturgeon said she was “astonished” Ms Davidson had asked about the issue, saying the Government had produced the document to the court.

She said: “That claim, as the Government actually confirmed yesterday, is just factually inaccurate. 

“David Davis claimed that a document was withheld.

"In fact, once we tracked down exactly what document was being talked about, what we discovered was that document was not withheld.

"That document was handed over to the court on the 21st of November 2018, production number 7.79.

"So there’s the answer to Ruth Davidson's question."

“I would just end by saying this. Parliamentary privilege might confer all sorts of protection. Unfortunately for Mr Davis it doesn’t turn falsehood into fact."

To loud jeering from SNP MSPs, Ms Davidson replied: “I don’t deal in conspiracies, I deal in facts.”

She claimed the Goverment had proceeded with a "cover-up", despite a warning from counsel on 4 November 2018 to be as candid as possible as soon as possible rather than look "shifty" in the long run.

Ms Sturgeon replied: "All of this is out there for people to see. The thing is, people don’t have to take Ruth Davidson’s word for these things any more.

"They don’t have to take the word of the old boys club in the House of Commons any more.

"They can go on to the website of the Scottish Government, and [the Salmond inquiry] committee of this parliament, and read all this for themselves, and then they can make up their own minds.

“But the fact of the matter is David Davis made serious, specific allegations in the House of Commons this week and they have completely fallen apart.

“I actually think that is something he should be apologising for.

“He’s been tweeting this morning, where he’s no longer even trying to defend the specific allegations, he’s just shifting the goal posts.

“Shifty is definitely a word use today, but I would use it in relation to David Davis and Ruth Davidson.”

Ms Davidson then listed a series of obstacles faced by the Holyrood inquiry into the Salmond affair as evidence of a cover-up, including missing notes from a top-level meetings involving the FM and senior counsel.

"All this would have stayed secret from the inquiry that is investigating it, but for the threat of John Swinney losing his job," she said, referring to the threat of a no confidence vote in the deputy First Minister that finally forced the Government to release its legal advice.

Ms Sturgeon replied: "Ruth Davidson gets more and more desperate on the issue every single week that passes. As one conspiracy theory after another is demolished and falls away, she just dredges the bottom of the barrel.

"The fact of the matter is that this Government made a serious mistake, and I have said so on a number of occasions. It is a serious mistake, which I regret deeply.

"A point that should not be lost is that it is a mistake that was made in the course of the Government trying to do the right thing. In the world of the old boys club, that mistake would never have been made, because the allegations would never have been investigated, and would have been swept under the carpet instead.

"Ruth Davidson will see that old boys club a lot more closely when she joins the House of Lords, in just a few weeks’ time."

Ms Davidson called for heads to roll over the affair.

She said: "Day by day, week by week, and drip by drip, more evidence comes to light over how the matter has been mishandled by the First Minister and her Government. 

"The evidence mounts up, as do the Government’s excuses.

"The one thing that has not happened is anyone in this Government taking the responsibility that they should take. The circumstances demand that someone loses their job over the matter.

"It could be the permanent secretary, the First Minister’s chief of staff, or the First Minister herself, but, really, should it not be them all?"

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The First Minister again criticised Ms Davidson over her planned move to the House of Lords.

She said: "In just a few weeks’ time, I will put myself before the verdict of the Scottish people. That is the ultimate accountability, from which Ruth Davidson is running away. Never let us forget that.

"Week after week, Ruth Davidson stands up here and claims that, for her, it is all about the women. If that is true, I suggest to her that it is about time that she started listening a bit more to the women at the heart of it, and a bit less to Alex Salmond and his cronies.

"At the heart of it is the fact that Ruth Davidson and the Conservatives are not interested in the women, nor in the evidence.

"They are interested only in using the situation as a political tool—because, frankly, they have nothing positive to put before the Scottish people."

Later, Ms Davidson accused the SNP of having its own old boys club under Ms Sturgeon which was shielding errant MSPs and MPs.

She said: "The SNP’s old boys’ club continues to ‘protect’ [grope row MP] Patrick Grady, who himself had defended [sleaze row MSP} Derek Mackay, just two of many SNP politicians accused of not just sleaze, but unacceptable actions.

“If the SNP Government had properly dealt with the shameful behaviour from their old boys’ club, Nicola Sturgeon wouldn’t be in this mess.

“They have utterly failed the women at the heart of this scandal from start to finish.

"They continue to let the women and the public down by deflecting all blame and covering up important evidence until it’s dragged from them.

“They failed in attempts to cover this up to a court. They are still desperately trying to cover it up to the public.

“But the First Minister still wildly lashes out at claims of a cover up and refuses to sack anyone, even in the face of overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing.

"Her judgement is more polluted by the day.”