Break-Up: How Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon Went to War

(Hardback)

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Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeons 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 protge 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 Scotlands 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.

'A gripping story of power games and hubris' The Observer

'Timely, important, compelling This is an intense, often claustrophobic tale of insider politics. Ultimately, [Break-Up] asks brave questions which all the main protagonists would prefer not to discuss that go beyond the SalmondSturgeon power play. Gerry Hassan, Bella Caledonia

'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, LBC

'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 Spectator

'A valuable study of the failings of Scotlands political establishment.' TLS

Reviews

"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 Spectator

Author Bio

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.