Pressure grows for MP to stand down

Alistair Carmichael’s admission that he backed the leak of a controversial memo ahead of the general election has seen calls for him to resign from the post of MP for the Northern Isles.

At the time of writing, a poll by The Shetland Times has 97 per cent of the 4,063 votes saying Mr Carmichael should resign, while a Press & Journal poll, on whether Mr Carmichael would have won his Orkney and Shetland seat if voters knew truth about leaked memo, stands, at 75.93 per cent saying no.

In addition to Facebook users voicing concern, today’s events have led to the #carmichaelmustgo hashtag on Twitter.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today: “As well as the original dirty trick, which was bad enough, Mr Carmichael then tried to cover it up – and is only admitting it now because he got caught.

“He needs to seriously reflect on that – and reflect on whether his actions, and attempt to cover them up, are consistent with his position as an honourable member of the House of Commons.”

Although admitting responsibility today – the day the Cabinet Office’s inquiry findings were made public – Mr Carmichael told Channel Four news on April 4: “I’ve told you, the first I became aware of this, and this is already on the public record, was when I received a phone call on Friday afternoon from a journalist making me aware of it.”

The same day, he told the Daily Record that “The first time I saw the memo was in the pages of the Telegraph.”

Tomorrow, Saturday, members of Yes Orkney – the campaign group who called for a yes vote in the 2014 referendum on Scottish Independence – will stage a silent protest outside St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, in protest at Mr Carmichael’s actions.