House of Commons leaders are being pressed over public money given to the SNP and the “safeguards” in place to prevent its “misuse” in the wake of Peter Murrell’s embezzlement of more than £400,000.
The former SNP chief executive – and ex-husband of Nicola Sturgeon – is facing jail when he appears back in court next week for sentencing after admitting illegally using party cash for personal purchases over a 12-year period.
He used SNP funds to buy a range of items ranging from a campervan and expensive watches and pens to more mundane items, such as DVDs and an egg poacher.
In the wake of the case, MPs on the Scottish Affairs Committee have written to authorities at the Commons in a bid to determine how much short money – public cash given to opposition parties to help them fulfil their duties – was given to the SNP over the period of Murrell’s crimes, which ran from 2010 to 2022.
The committee, which could still launch its own inquiry into the wider circumstances surrounding the scandal, also asked about the “safeguards which exist to mitigate the risk of the misuse of short money”.
Committee chair Patricia Ferguson raised the issue with Clerk of the House Tom Goldsmith, with the same letter also sent to Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
Ms Ferguson also asks if they or their predecessors or Commons authorities more widely “have had any grounds for concern — or received any serious and credible concerns from others — about the potential misuse” of this cash.
And she said that “given the scale and duration of the criminal activity” by Murrell, it would help the committee to hear views on “the adequacy of the current system and safeguards for allocating short money to political parties”.
The Speaker and the Commons Clerk are asked for their “assessment of the audit mechanisms used to confirm the accuracy and propriety of expenditure, both generally, and in respect of the specific case of the SNP”.
Ms Ferguson told them: “The committee would welcome your views on whether these mechanisms are sufficiently robust to prevent abuse of the system, including criminal activity.”
SNP leader and Scottish First Minister John Swinney has repeatedly rejected calls for a further inquiry into Murrell’s crimes.
In addition, the committee chair also wrote to the Electoral Commission, asking for it to set out how it was satisfied that funding it gave to the SNP was “used appropriately”.
The Commission has already stated it has “found no evidence” that policy development grants given to the party were misused.
But Ms Ferguson said MPs on the committee wanted to know how much of this funding the party was given when Murrell was carrying out his offences, as well as asking how it was “satisfied itself that this funding was used appropriately”.
Commission chair John Pullinger was also asked for his views on the “adequacy of the existing safeguards to prevent the misuse of public funds provided by the Electoral Commission”, with MPs keen to know if “these are sufficiently robust to prevent abuse of the system, including criminal activity”.
The letters have been sent in the wake of demands from opposition parties in Scotland for a parliamentary inquiry to take place into the circumstances surrounding Murrell’s crimes.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney, however, has repeatedly rebuffed calls for an investigation to take place at Holyrood, insisting that this will add nothing to the lengthy police investigation in SNP finances which uncovered Murrell’s behaviour.
Earlier this month the First Minister said: “We’ve had a police investigation, there can be no higher investigation and more forensic investigation than a police investigation.
“I therefore do not support the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry, because we have had an investigation and it convicted somebody for embezzling from my party’s funds.”
While the Scottish Affairs Committee has made clear it believes Holyrood is the “most appropriate place for an inquiry”, MPs are waiting to see what happens before they decide if they should “undertake substantive work on this matter”.
