Feud at top of Scottish politics mars independence push

LONDON (AP) — Together, politicians Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon took the quest for Scottish independence from long shot to strong possibility. But now Scotland’s former leader and his successor as first minister are locked in a feud that is tearing apart their Scottish National Party. The two former allies have been trading accusations for months over who knew what and when about allegations against Salmond, who was tried and acquitted last year on sex assault charges. The crisis has erupted just as the party’s dream of an independent Scotland outside the United Kingdom is closer to reality than it has ever been.