ROBBIE DINWOODIE and GRAEME SMITH
Alex Salmond faced fresh attacks over his handling of Donald Trump's £1bn golf resort plans yesterday, with Labour accusing him of bowing down to wealthy investors.
Labour claimed that Mr Salmond acted at the behest of the billionaire during the controversial handling of the application, MSPs heard.
Labour MSP Duncan McNeil told parliament: "Cynics might say: Trump said jump, the First Minister of Scotland said how high?'."
The debate followed a report by a Holyrood committee, chaired by Mr McNeil, which branded Mr Salmond's involvement in the affair "cavalier".
A public inquiry has been set up into the application to develop Menie Estate, Aberdeenshire, after the plans were called in by Scottish ministers.
SNP MSP Alex Neil said the committee report was "blown up nonsense" and a "Unionist plot" to undermine the SNP administration.
He claimed that members of the public regarded the report and debate as "spurious" and added: "The Unionist majority in this committee is what needs to be called into question. These are the people that put an inquiry into child poverty in Scotland way behind this spurious inquiry into this affair."
For the Tories, Mary Scanlon said if it was Labour, Liberal or the Conservatives who were allegedly indulging, manipulating and interfering the planning process, the SNP would be first in the queue for at the very least a committee inquiry and a report to parliament.
Meanwhile, Martin Ford, who lost his chairmanship of the infrastructure services committee of Aberdeenshire Council after using his casting vote on November 29 to reject the plan, has lost another round of the battle against the proposal.
On December 12 the council agreed to support the application, and with a public local inquiry now planned for June officials suggested that for clarification the council should reaffirm its position as agreed on that date.
Mr Ford moved an amendment that it should reaffirm its decision of November 29. His motion was defeated by 56 votes to five.
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