The Scottish National Party has been accused of 'embezzling' voters after opposition leaders highlighted the crisis over Peter Murrell's misuse of £400,000 from party funds. The scandal overshadowed a Holyrood motion tabled by First Minister John Swinney to call for a second independence referendum.
Fulfilling a promise made during the Holyrood election campaign, Swinney used the first full day of parliamentary business to stage a symbolic vote calling for the power to hold a fresh referendum. He offered no new legal or constitutional arguments to force the UK government to agree, but challenged pro-UK parties to accept Scotland's right to decide its own future.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said Swinney's attempt to revisit the issue immediately after the election, amid global insecurity and a cost of living crisis, showed the SNP's selfishness. Referring to Murrell's guilty plea, Sarwar said the crimes provided 'really stark' evidence that the SNP put its own ambitions first, and accused the party of embezzling opportunities from the Scottish people for 20 years.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay called the timing of the debate 'comical' given the political agenda was dominated by Murrell's embezzlement. He claimed Swinney had helped quash valid concerns about the party's finances before the police investigation, and criticised former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for her 'no comment' responses during police interviews, describing them as 'the tactics of organised crime'.
Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer backed Swinney's efforts, arguing that the combined SNP and Green seats produced Holyrood's biggest ever pro-independence majority. However, Scottish Tory finance spokesperson Craig Hoy countered that pro-UK parties won 59% of regional votes, while the SNP and Greens secured only 41%.
