Break-Up
How Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon Went to War
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 protégée 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.
'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 Salmond–Sturgeon 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 Scotland’s political establishment.' — TLS
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.
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.
