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PCC rejects Alex Salmond complaint

The Press Complaints Commission has not upheld a complaint against the Scottish Mail on Sunday from Scotland's first minister, Alex Salmond.

He complained about two articles, one of which reported that he was at the centre of an immigration "scandal" after "lobbying for an illegal immigrant facing drugs charges to be allowed to stay in Scotland".

The other claimed that Salmond was "facing a Westminster investigation" as a result of writing to the home office in support of the man's application.

Salmond argued that the articles were inaccurate and misleading. At the time of his letter to the home office, he had been unaware of both the man's background and the existence of an outstanding criminal warrant.

It was incorrect for the paper to suggest - primarily in a quote from an MP - that he had stepped outside normal parliamentary procedures in writing to the home secretary.

In addition, he argued that the fact the article was published before a complaint had been received by the parliamentary commissioner for standards rendered the claim that he was facing a "probe" into his conduct untrue.

But the commission ruled that the essential facts of the story were "accurately reflected in the articles". The newspaper was entitled to publish the comments of opposition MPs - even if the complainant disagreed with them - and considered that such criticisms "were distinguished as comment in accordance with the terms of the [editors']code".

As for the reference in the report to an "investigation" by the parliamentary standards commissioner, the commission took the view that the paper's claims had not suggested that proceedings were already under way at the time of the article. Nor did the newspaper speculate as to the outcome of the commissioner's considerations.

Furthermore, a third article had subsequently made clear that the matter was not eventually pursued and that Salmond had not been subject to any disciplinary action. The PCC decided that this clarified the position appropriately.

Here is the full adjudication. It should be noted that commission member Peter Wright, the editor of the Mail on Sunday, took no part in the PCC's deliberations on the complaint and left the room when it was discussed.

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