
Break-Up
How Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon Went to War
David, Kieran Clegg, Andrews(Author)
Biteback Publishing
Will be published approx. on 31. August 2021
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-1-78590-706-7 (ISBN)
Description
Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon's political partnership changed the face of Scotland, bringing the country to within 200,000 votes of independence in 2014 and holding sway at Holyrood for more than a decade. Since the referendum, Scottish nationalism has been a movement on the up, but the relationship between the former First Minister and his protegee and successor has broken down.
Break-Up tells the inside story of how an alliance that goes back thirty years was ripped apart amid shocking claims of sexual assault, driving a wedge through the once unbreakable unity of the Scottish National Party.
With unrivalled access to both camps and the women who made the allegations, and with rigorously fair-minded reporting, journalists David Clegg and Kieran Andrews go behind the headlines to uncover the truth about this extraordinary episode, in a piece of political history that reads like a thriller.
This is a jaw-dropping tale of inappropriate behaviour in the highest reaches of power, of lies, distrust and alleged conspiracy, with profound implications not only for Salmond and Sturgeon themselves but for Scotland's governing party and the wider independence campaign.
At its heart, it is also a story about how women who voiced concerns about the behaviour of the most powerful man in the country were used as political pawns - and about what that means for the #MeToo movement.
Break-Up tells the inside story of how an alliance that goes back thirty years was ripped apart amid shocking claims of sexual assault, driving a wedge through the once unbreakable unity of the Scottish National Party.
With unrivalled access to both camps and the women who made the allegations, and with rigorously fair-minded reporting, journalists David Clegg and Kieran Andrews go behind the headlines to uncover the truth about this extraordinary episode, in a piece of political history that reads like a thriller.
This is a jaw-dropping tale of inappropriate behaviour in the highest reaches of power, of lies, distrust and alleged conspiracy, with profound implications not only for Salmond and Sturgeon themselves but for Scotland's governing party and the wider independence campaign.
At its heart, it is also a story about how women who voiced concerns about the behaviour of the most powerful man in the country were used as political pawns - and about what that means for the #MeToo movement.
Reviews / Votes
"All of this is raw meat to ravenous journalists, and in Break-Up David Clegg and Kieran Andrews go at it with gusto." - Alan Taylor, Literary Review "Reads like a thriller" - Iain Dale "Essential reading...Anyone wishing a better understanding of why Scotland is governed the way it is will need to read their book" - Alex Massie, The SpectatorMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
ISBN-13
978-1-78590-706-7 (9781785907067)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2021
Biteback Publishing
€7.19
Available for download
Person
David Clegg is the editor of The Courier. As political editor of the Daily Record, he revealed that former First Minister Alex Salmond was facing allegations of sexual assault. The story won him Journalist of the Year, Political Journalist of the Year and Scoop of the Year at the 2018 Scottish Press Awards. He was also named Political Journalist of the Year in 2014, 2015 and 2017. David is a regular contributor to the Sky News Press Preview and is a sought-after pundit on Scottish politics. Kieran Andrews is the Scottish political editor of The Times and has been the go-to journalist following the twists and turns of the Salmond inquiries, exposing many of the Scottish government's failings in the investigation and its fallout. He regularly appears as a pundit on Times Radio, the BBC and Sky News. Kieran is the convener of the Scottish Parliamentary Journalists' Association. He was on the frontline for the 2014 independence and 2016 Brexit referendums and has covered ten elections - so far.