Alistair Carmichael ‘behind leaked Nicola Sturgeon memo’

Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat MP and former Scottish minister, was the originator of the leak to the Daily Telegraph at the height of the election campaign.

He had previously denied knowledge of the matter in an interview with Channel 4 News on 5 April (see video below).

The memo recorded a conversation with French ambassador Sylvie Bermann after a meeting with Ms Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister. The record said that Ms Sturgeon had told the ambassador she would prefer Mr Cameron to remain as prime minister over Ed Miliband.

At the time Mr Carmichael told Channel 4 News that the first he heard of the memo was “when I received a phone call… from a journalist”.

But an investigation into the leak ordered by Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood has concluded that Mr Carmichael “could and should have stopped the sharing of the memo” and added that he “accepts responsibility for what occurred”.

The comments contained in the memo were denied by both Ms Sturgeon and the French ambassador (interviewed above leaving the Cabinet Office).

Mr Carmichael now says he was “aware” of the “content” of the document and admits that he “agreed that my special adviser should make it public”.

The former secretary of state said he would have resigned if he were still a minister after this information came to light, and will instead “decline my ministerial severance payment”.

After the leak, which was seized upon by politicians of all side in the election campaign, the SNP accused Whitehall of dirty tricks.

The French consul-general in Edinburgh, Pierre-Alain Coffinier, also said the memo was not accurate.

The Cabinet Office inquiry concluded that Mr Carmichael’s former special adviser Euan Roddin had sent the confidential memo to the Daily Telegraph and spoke to the newspaper’s journalist on his official mobile phone.

Mr Roddin said he had Mr Carmichael’s permission to do so.