Nicola Sturgeon should apologise to SNP members for the financial scandal involving her husband, Peter Murrell, according to Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon. Murrell, the former SNP chief executive, was jailed for five years for embezzling £400,000 from the party. Hutcheon argues that while Sturgeon had no knowledge of the crimes, she is accountable for the weak financial oversight that allowed them to happen.
Sturgeon's Reputation Damaged by Husband's Crimes
Sturgeon resigned as First Minister in 2023 with her reputation largely intact, having led Scotland through the pandemic and won eight consecutive elections for the SNP. However, the controversy over gender self-identification and the ongoing Operation Branchform investigation had already caused damage. Now, Murrell's jail term threatens to deliver a terminal blow to her legacy.
Hutcheon stresses that Sturgeon is not responsible for her husband's actions, but she failed to ensure proper financial controls were in place. "She is not responsible for the actions of her corrupt husband, but she is accountable for the slack financial controls that allowed his criminality to flourish," he writes.
Lack of Financial Oversight Enabled Embezzlement
Murrell, who was both Sturgeon's husband and the SNP's chief executive, used party funds to purchase luxury items for their home, including a Jaguar car and a motorhome. The judge, Lord Young, noted that Murrell fabricated invoices and gave false information to staff. "The manner of the embezzlement, although not particularly sophisticated, included the fabrication of invoices," the judge said.
Hutcheon criticises the arrangement of having a husband-and-wife team run the party, calling it "stupid" and noting that even current SNP leader John Swinney admits "it's not a good arrangement." He argues that stringent financial checks should have been in place, with every item of spending above a certain level signed off by another person on the SNP's governing body.
Sturgeon's Lack of Transparency
In a leaked video from 2021, Sturgeon told the SNP's NEC: "Just be very careful about suggestions that there are problems with the party's finances because we depend on donors to donate. There are no reasons for people to be concerned about the party's finances." At the time, Murrell was actively stealing from the party.
When police questioned Sturgeon in 2023, she gave a "no comment" interview. Her lawyer, Aamer Anwar, later criticised police for background briefings. Hutcheon questions how Sturgeon could not have been curious about expensive purchases like a Jaguar and a motorhome, but says the real issue is her lack of interest in the SNP's finances.
"Sturgeon knows she let party members down and she should say sorry," Hutcheon concludes.
