Ex-first minister attacks Scotland's government

The feud between former Scotland first-minister Alex Salmond and his successor Nicola Sturgeon, has reached fever pitch in recent weeks, pitting the former friends against each other in a sparring match that could eventually put pressure on her to resign.

Salmond, who was cleared of committing multiple sex offences against nine women last year, said the handling of his case by the Scottish government had shown a failure of leadership, accusing the judiciary of being too close to the minister.

"The government acted illegally, but somehow nobody's to blame," Salmond told an inquiry.

The row stems from Sturgeon's handling of the government's response to the case against Salmond and whether the Scottish first minister misled parliament over the details of what and when she knew of the allegations against her predecessor.

Sturgeon has denied his accusations.

She and her bid for a second independence referendum have been riding high in the opinion polls, with many praising her handling of Scotland's response to the public health crisis of the past year.

But since then, the polls have shown support falling back, although a majority still back a second referendum.