Snp: senior mp appears on alex salmond's rt show without permission

SNP sources confirmed Mr MacNeil had not sought clearance from officials but said MPs can choose which programmes they appear on. A string of high-profile figures have reportedly turned down

approaches because of the channel's association with Vladimir Putin's regime. Last week's show featured Kenny MacAskill, who served as Mr Salmond's Justice Secretary

when he was First Minister. Scottish Tory deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said: "It seems the only guests Alex Salmond can muster are old pals. "It’s hardly the agenda-setting show he

boasted it would be." Scottish Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "When this show was announced I suggested that the former First Minister might want to use it to highlight the

plight of some of those pushing back against the repressive Putin regime, sadly the quality of guest has been rather lower. "Nicola Sturgeon will have her head in her hands that another

SNP parliamentarian is indulging Putin's propaganda channel." Mr Salmond has insisted the broadcaster will allow him "freedom of speech" and will not make editorial

decisions on the show. Last month, the First Minister said Mr Salmond's choice of channel "would not have been my choice" and that she would have "advised him to seek

another channel" if she had been asked. An SNP spokesman said: "We consider all requests for interview on their merits as and when they come into us."