17:42

Further doubts about the Scottish National party’s vetting of its candidates and Nicola Sturgeon’s judgment in nominating Gillian Martin as an education minister (see 12.27pm, 1.26pm and 4.30pm) have been raised after allegedly racist comments in her blog came to light.

Fresh excerpts from Martin’s deleted blog have her making disparaging comments about black, Jewish and overweight Americans she apparently encountered as a waitress in New Orleans.

Sturgeon’s spokesman, after accusing the media of using “electronic bin-raking” to expose the affair, claimed this afternoon the first minister suspended Martin today only after this fresh material emerged.

He said the most-widely circulated and allegedly trans-phoblic comments about “hairy-knuckled, lipstick-wearing transitional laydees” were already known to Sturgeon, before she had nominated Martin as an education secretary. He claimed:

Stuff came to light this morning which had not been previously aired or known about in any shape or form, certainly not to the first minister, and that’s the basis on which she took the decision not to proceed with the nomination.

Martin has since issued a lengthy apology (see 4.30pm) but in a detailed account of the restaurant tipping culture in New Orleans, her blog spoke of “American Blacks – don’t tip at all or tip next to nothing – to be avoided. The waiters (also black, remember) would do anything to avoid serving a table of blacks …”

She went on: “American Jews – tip ok but only if you’ve absolutely busted your hump and everything was faultless in the extreme. Often complain about the quality of the food, and then the small portions (Copyright: Woody Allen)”

And: “American Christian Whites – tip well (a combination of feeling guilty about slavery and wanting rub their comparative wealth in your face).” [sic]