Alex Salmond claims Nick Robinson should be 'ashamed' as he condemns BBC's Scottish referendum coverage as a 'disgrace'

The former SNP leader said he held off making comments until now because of Robinson's ill health

Alex Salmond (Jeff J Mitchell / Getty)

Alex Salmond has described the BBC’s coverage of the Scottish independence referendum as a “disgrace” as he hit back at outgoing political editor Nick Robinson’s attack on “Putin-like” protests against the corporation.

The former first minister of Scotland said Mr Robinson should be “embarrassed and ashamed” of his reporting of the campaign.

Mr Salmond also dismissed as “ludicrous” the comparison the broadcaster made between protests by pro-independence supporters outside the BBC’s Glasgow headquarters and the treatment of journalists in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

The comments were made during by Mr Robinson at the Edinburgh International Book Festival last week to promote his book Election Diary.

In a column for The Courier, Mr Salmond, now MP for Gordon, said that he had held off commenting due to Mr Robinson’s battle with cancer.

He said: “For some months I have said nothing at all about auld Nick because it is unfair to criticise someone who is not able to answer back. Now he is back.

“The BBC’s coverage of the Scottish referendum was a disgrace, as was Nick’s own reporting of which he should be both embarrassed and ashamed.”

The BBC said: “Our coverage was rigorously impartial and in line with our guidelines on fairness and impartiality.”

PA