Nicola Sturgeon's husband has been called to give evidence to Holyrood's Alex Salmond inquiry early next month.

MSPs want to quiz Peter Murrell in person on December 8 after he sent texts which showed him urging the police to be pressurised over Salmond.

A committee of MSPs is examining how the Scottish Government botched the investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against Salmond. The former First Minister pursued a judicial review and it was agreed the Government probe had been unlawful.

The episode cost the taxpayer over £500,000 and ended the long-standing friendship between Sturgeon and Salmond, whose allies believe he was targeted in a bid to stop him returning to frontline politics.

The First Minister has described the claims by Salmond's allies as a "heap of nonsense".

Separately, Salmond was charged with sexual offences, and after a trial he was acquitted earlier this year.

In September SNP MP Kenny MacAskill revealed he had received an anonymous document about the criminal side of the Salmond case which showed messages sent by Murrell on the day after Salmond was charged with sexual offences in 2019.

MacAskill passed the document to the Holyrood committee.

The first message Murrell sent stated: "Totally agree folk should be asking the police questions... report now with the PF on charges which leaves police twiddling their thumbs. So good time to be pressurising them. Would be good to know Met looking at events in London."

The second message said : "TBH the more fronts he is having to firefight on the better for all complainers. so CPS action would be a good thing."

Murrell, who is also the SNP chief executive, informed the committee in writing he had sent the messages, but admitted he had not expressed himself "well" in the texts.

In previous correspondence, the committee also asked Murrell questions about internal SNP communications and quizzed him about meetings Sturgeon had with Salmond in relation to the Government investigation.

Murrell answered the questions in writing but the Committee agreed this week to request oral evidence.

A Scottish Parliament spokesman told the Daily Record today: "Mr Murrell has been invited to give evidence to the Committee on 8 December."