Rishi Sunak has been reported to police in Scotland over a prison joke made about Nicola Sturgeon in his Tory conference speech.
The Prime Minister mocked the former Scottish First Minister over her arrest as part of a police probe into the SNP’s finances as he addressed the gathering in Manchester.
Ms Sturgeon was released without charge pending further investigation following her arrest in June.
Chris McEleny, the general secretary of the rival pro-independence Alba Party, has reported Mr Sunak to Police Scotland for contempt of court allegations as his comments come amid a live investigation.
Mr Sunak made the jibe as he insisted the union between Scotland and the rest of the UK was “the strongest it has been in a quarter of a century”.
The Prime Minister added that “the forces of separatism are in retreat”.
He said: “Nicola Sturgeon wanted to go down in the history books as the woman who broke up our country but it now looks like she may go down for very different reasons.”
But Mr McEleny said that “Operation Branchform should be free to pursue its investigation fearlessly without interference from Rishi Sunak”.
He said he was “formally complaining about the offence of contempt of court”, requesting police investigate.
The Alba general secretary said: “The Prime Minister is commenting on, and making an assumption about a live Police Scotland investigation.
“In Scotland contempt applies from arrest, not from charging.
“Operation Branchform is investigating serious matters of the utmost importance to Scotland and trust in politics.
“It is too important a matter to allow interference from the Prime Minister in this act of contempt when many people await the facts of Police Scotland’s investigation.”
Police Scotland and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
