NICOLA Sturgeon has said she is “shocked” by allegations that Tory MPs have effectively been blackmailed into keeping Boris Johnson in office.
The First Minister said it suggested the “moral decay” at the heart of Mr Johnson’s government was even worse than she suspected.
She also said some of the accusations emerging could be described as “corruption”.
It followed Tory MP William Wragg, who had called on Mr Johnson to quit over the partygate scandal, claiming some of his wavering colleagues had been intimidated by Tory whips.
Besides being threatened with the leaking of embarassing stories about them to the media, Mr Wragg said some MPs had been told public funds would be withdrawn from their constituencies to cause them trouble if they turned againt the Prime Minister.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson saga: William Wragg urges MPs to report 'blackmail' by Tory whips
He said: "The intimidation of a Member of Parliament is a serious matter. Moreover, the reports of which I'm aware, would seem to constitute blackmail.
"As such, it would be my general advice to colleagues to report these matters to the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and they're also welcome to contact me at any time."
Speaking to ITV Border after FMQs, Ms Sturgeon said: “These are gravely serious allegations - intimidation, bullying, blackmail, and using public money to do it is the allegation.
“I would suggest that these accusations need to be fully and, crucially, independently investigated.
“With every day right now Boris Johnson is tarnishing the office of Prime Minister, and I think if she had concerns for the interests of the country, he will go.”
Asked if the allegations surprised her, Ms Sturgeon replied: “They shock me.”
Let’s be clear: if Tories are threatening to withhold public investment from constituencies as a way of keeping MPs in line then, yes, that’s blackmail & intimidation - but it is also corruption.
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) January 20, 2022
The moral decay at the heart of Johnson’s govt may be even worse than we thought https://t.co/vG5uBWLDh4
The FM later tweeted a clip of the exchange, adding: “Let’s be clear: if Tories are threatening to withhold public investment from constituencies as a way of keeping MPs in line then, yes, that’s blackmail & intimidation - but it is also corruption.
“The moral decay at the heart of Johnson’s govt may be even worse than we thought.”
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, who called last week for Mr Johnson to resign, said the allegations were "extremley serious" and must be investigated.
Earlier, Ms Sturgeon accused Mr Johnson's administration of the "utterly despicable" use of diversionary tactics involving asylum seekers and refugees to distract attention from partygate.
She said an announcement on the funding of the BBC semed part of the same "moral decay".
She said: "The comments that we saw at the weekend about the use of the military [to turn mack migrants in the CHannel] - a bit like the comments on the BBC - were an attempt to divert attention from the self-inflicted troubles of the Prime Minister.
"We should not be using the BBC, and we should absolutely not be using refugees and asylum seekers, in that way.
"I say 'we', but it is the UK Government that is using refugees and asylum seekers in that way. It is utterly despicable and is another sign of the moral decay at the heart of the UK Government."
Mr Johnson today insisted he had not seen any evidence to support Mr Wragg’s claims.
On a vist to Taunton he told reporters: “I’ve seen no evidence to support any of those allegations. What I am focused on is what we’re doing to deal with the number one priority of the British people, which is coming through Covid.”
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