Nicola Sturgeon is facing renewed scrutiny after her estranged husband, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, admitted stealing more than £400,000 from the party to fund a string of luxury purchases.
Murrell, who was the chief executive of the SNP for over two decades until 2023, pleaded guilty to embezzlement yesterday, bringing an end to a long-running investigation that has cast a shadow over Scotland’s governing party.
The court heard the stolen funds were used for a range of personal spending, including a £124,550 motorhome, cars such as a Jaguar, high-end household goods and miscellaneous items ranging from designer accessories to household appliances. Among the more unusual purchases were a robotic lawnmower, expensive salt and pepper grinders, umbrellas costing hundreds of pounds, and even video games.
The case has triggered political uproar, with opposition parties questioning how such a scale of misuse of party funds went undetected for so long within the SNP’s senior ranks.
Dame Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, said it was “inconceivable” that Sturgeon could have been unaware of the wrongdoing during the period in which she led the party.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay went further, accusing Murrell of behaving like a “thieving magpie” and demanding that Sturgeon provide a full account of what she knew and when. He said public scepticism over her claims of ignorance was “entirely understandable”.
He said: “Nobody in the real world is buying her claims that she didn’t know a thing about the criminal actions of the man she shared a house, life and political party.”
Sturgeon has repeatedly denied any knowledge of or suspicion regarding her husband’s activities, maintaining that she was unaware of the financial misconduct uncovered in the case.
Current SNP leader and First Minister John Swinney has issued an apology to party donors whose contributions were misused, describing the situation as deeply regrettable. However, he also said he accepts Sturgeon’s assertion that she had no involvement or awareness of the fraud.
Murrell’s guilty plea marks one of the most damaging financial scandals in the SNP’s modern history, raising fresh questions about internal oversight and governance during Sturgeon’s tenure as both party leader and First Minister.
As the fallout continues, attention is likely to remain fixed on what senior figures within the party knew — and when they knew it.
Sturgeon said through her lawyers: The media is reporting details of items that my former husband has now admitted buying with SNP funds.
“I have seen questions raised about how I could not have known about this.
“I want to reiterate that I had no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that personal items had been purchased using SNP funds.
“I was cleared of any wrongdoing after a lengthy and thorough investigation. In relation to many of the items in question, for example expensive watches and games consoles, I was not aware of them having been purchased at all.
“Indeed in relation to the item of largest value – a campervan – I was not aware of its existence until it featured in the police investigation in early 2023, nor was it parked in our driveway as has been claimed by some.
“In respect of any items I was aware of Peter having purchased, I had no reason to doubt that he had used his own money.
“We were both earning high salaries and, due to the responsibilities of my job, rarely socialised or went on holidays. We had separate bank accounts and I had no access to his financial records.”
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