MSPs investigating the government’s botched sexual misconduct probe into Alex Salmond have said Nicola Sturgeon misled the inquiry, increasing pressure on the First Minister to resign.

The committee on the Scottish government’s handling of harassment complaints voted 5-4 along party lines to come to its conclusion, which was leaked on Thursday night. 

Sky News reported the committee believes Ms Sturgeon should have acted upon allegations about her predecessor’s conduct after being told about the then First Minister’s behaviour towards female Edinburgh Airport staff in November 2017. 

Reports suggest the inquiry concluded it is “hard to believe” Ms Sturgeon did not know of concerns before then, as she claimed.

The committee was set up after a judicial review resulted in the government’s investigation into Mr Salmond being ruled unlawful and “tainted by apparent bias,” with a £512,250 payout awarded.

Ms Sturgeon said the “very partisan” leak of the report was “not that surprising” but reiterated she stood by all evidence given during an eight-hour session with MSPs ahead of the report’s official publication, which is expected on Tuesday. 

The claims have heaped pressure on Ms Sturgeon, who is facing a vote of no confidence, to step down, but she has said she will wait for the outcome of a separate inquiry into whether she broke the ministerial code.

A spokesman for the First Minister said the committee’s leaked claims were “baseless” and called them a “blatantly transparent attempt to damage her before the coming election.”

The Scottish Greens, who have no MSPs on the committee, said leaking the findings had breached the parliamentary code, claiming it is “utterly disgraceful that the women at the heart of this saga have been so let down.”