NICOLA STURGEON has faced mounting pressure to suspend her predecessor Alex Salmond from the SNP since details of the sexual assault allegations against him emerged in the media on Saturday.

A staff member who worked for Mr Salmond when he was first minister alleges that she had to repeatedly ask Mr Salmond to stop touching her in the bedroom of Bute House, his official residence.

She says a boozed-up Mr Salmond told her to move to his bedroom after an official engagement in December 2013 and tried to ply her with alcohol.

He then told her to get on the bed and proceeded to lie on top of her, touching her breasts and bottom through her clothes, and kissing her, the woman alleges.

The allegations were reported in the Daily Record newspaper, which said its journalists had seen the wording of the woman’s complaint.

Mr Salmond is seeking a judicial review of the Scottish government’s complaint procedure. Whatever the outcome of that, he will face a police investigation into the allegations by two staff members.

A statement from Mr Salmond issued on Saturday said: “As Mr Salmond made very clear yesterday when he spoke to all media outlets, he intends to make no further comment on these matters until his petition for judicial review is heard in the Court of Session.

“This is done on legal advice and in the context that he refutes these complaints of impropriety and absolutely denies any suggestion of criminality.”

Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said Ms Sturgeon should suspend Mr Salmond from the SNP immediately.

“Not to do so will send the wrong message to members in her party and the people of Scotland,” she said.

“People who experience harassment should be able to come forward in the knowledge there is a safe environment to do so and that the workplace they are in treats their complaint robustly.

“The SNP must do all it can to give complainants the support they need, whoever the alleged perpetrator is, and make clear that there is safe space for any other survivors to come forward.

“The first minister has been too slow to act on these shocking allegations. Nicola Sturgeon must take action and she must do it now.”

Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells said: “We must respect the women who complained and allow due and fair process to continue so that the facts can be brought out.

“However, these revelations do raise questions about the way this matter was treated when it is alleged to have taken place and these also need to be answered.

She added: “We need to see full transparency from the SNP and the Scottish government.”

Conrad Landin is Morning Star Scotland editor.