Former MP insists lying is widespread as he attempts to defend Alistair Carmichael’s conduct in relation to leaked Nicola Sturgeon memo

Sir Malcolm Bruce, the former deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said lying in public remained widespread as he sought to defend his embattled colleague Alistair Carmichael.

Police investigate Alistair Carmichael's false denials over memo leak Read more

The sole Lib Dem MP in Scotland is under pressure from the Scottish National party over his role in leaking a confidential government document during the general election campaign in an attempt to damage the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

Parliamentary standards commissioner Kathryn Hudson has received a number of complaints about Carmichael’s conduct, and is considering whether to launch a formal investigation, her office said.

Carmichael, the former Scottish secretary, is accused of having misled the public about his knowledge of a leak to the Daily Telegraph of an account of a meeting between Sturgeon and the French ambassador, alleging that Sturgeon said she would prefer David Cameron to Ed Miliband as prime minister. The SNP is demanding that Carmichael resign.

After a Cabinet Office inquiry and report, Carmichael has apologised for his role in authorising the leak by his special adviser, but the SNP has asked the parliamentary inquiry standards commissioner in parliament to rule on his conduct.

I think people in public life are entitled to make a mistake and move on Sir Malcolm Bruce

Asked on BBC Radio 4 whether he was alleging that lying was widespread in public life, Bruce, who stood down at the election, replied: “No, well, yes. Lots of people have told lies and you know perfectly well that to be true.”

He suggested MPs could not be excluded for telling a lie: “If you are suggesting every MP who has never quite told the truth or even told a brazen lie, including cabinet ministers, including prime ministers, we would clear out the House of Commons very fast, I would suggest,” he said.

He said: “The SNP was in full hue and cry and it was an ugly sight … Alistair has recognised he has made a mistake he has apologised and I think people in public life are entitled to make a mistake and move on. He has foregone his severance pay. Carmichael had misconducted himself as a minister and he has apologised for that. That does not prejudge his capacity to be a first-class MP.”

Carmichael has been under intense pressure not just for his role in the leak but for telling Channel 4 news after the leak that the first he knew of the matter was when it was reported in the Telegraph.

But Bruce said Scotland needed diversity and plurality: “Scotland is a divided and bruised country with just one Liberal Democrat, one Conservative and Labour MP, and the SNP are quite clearly trying to extinguish all opposition in Scotland. That’s their objective and they will stop at nothing to do it – and their own record on mistakes and misleading of parliament does not bear close examination.”

He then alleged the former Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, had misled parliament citing a bogus claim by Salmond that he had legal advice that an independent Scotland would remain a member of the EU, but then revealed no such advice existed. Salmond, Bruce pointed out, had not resigned or apologised for that claim. He added that Sturgeon had once appealed for understanding after she was accused of defending a benefit fraudster.

Carmichael said he no longer believed Sturgeon told the French ambassador that she preferred Cameron, and therefore an account of the meeting set out in the leaked memo was an inaccurate description of what the ambassador reported Sturgeon saying to her.