Nicola Sturgeon has said she fully understands why many people find it hard to believe she had no knowledge of alleged embezzlement within the Scottish National Party (SNP), given the close links to her domestic life. However, the former first minister insisted she was unaware of any wrongdoing.
Speaking to the Guardian's Politics Weekly UK podcast, Sturgeon said her relaxed demeanour after stepping down as first minister in February 2023 would have been impossible if she had suspected anything was amiss. Weeks later, police searched her Glasgow home and the SNP headquarters, and her then husband, Peter Murrell, was arrested.
Murrell, the SNP's former chief executive, was later charged in connection with alleged embezzlement and has not yet entered a plea. Sturgeon, who separated from Murrell after his arrest and later announced the end of their marriage, is no longer under investigation.
Asked if she could understand scepticism about her ignorance, Sturgeon replied: 'I can, absolutely. If I was on the outside looking into the unfolding of events in the days after I stood down, I would struggle to believe that as well. But trust me, I had no idea.'
Sturgeon also argued that the resurgence of the SNP and Plaid Cymru, along with Reform UK, could signal the gradual collapse of the UK union. She predicted a 'complete rewiring' of the UK nations within 10 to 20 years, potentially leading to an independent Scotland or a confederation of the British Isles.
Defending her gender recognition bill, which was blocked by the UK government, Sturgeon said she would not accept that feminism conflicts with standing up for the rights of trans people, whom she described as a 'stigmatised minority'.
