John Swinney has insisted voters have “strong confidence” in the SNP following former chief executive Peter Murrell’s admission that he embezzled £400,000 from the party. Murrell pleaded guilty this week to embezzling the sum between 2010 and 2022, spending the money on items including a motorhome, cars, kitchen gadgets, expensive watches and pens, and more mundane purchases such as hand cream and toilet seats.
The 61-year-old, who is the estranged husband of former SNP leader and Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, is set to be sentenced in June, the same month that the SNP faces two by-election contests – one in Aberdeen South and another in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry.
Asked by the Press Association whether Murrell’s guilty plea would put people off voting SNP in those by-elections, Mr Swinney said: “People know in Scotland that the strongest voice that Scotland can send to Westminster is an SNP MP.” He did not directly address the question of Murrell’s plea, instead saying a debate about Scotland’s energy resources was “at the heart of this election”.
Mr Swinney said: “These constituencies are both in the north east of Scotland, and Scotland’s energy is vital to Scotland’s future. But we’ve got to make sure those resources are in Scotland’s hands, because decades of Labour and Conservative control of Scotland’s energy resources have been a disaster for Scotland.”
Asked again about the impact of Murrell’s admission, he pointed to Scottish election results from May 7 that saw the SNP remain the largest party in Holyrood. Mr Swinney told PA: “I think voters have demonstrated very recently their strong confidence in the SNP.” He added that the outcome “demonstrates that right across the country, especially here in the north east of Scotland, there’s very strong support for the SNP, and people have confidence and trust in the SNP and in the leadership I’ve given to the SNP.”
Asked whether he had spoken to Ms Sturgeon, who described the past week as “probably the worst” of her life, Mr Swinney said he had. He said it had been “a very difficult period” for Ms Sturgeon, but added he was “entirely focused on making sure I deliver for the people of Scotland”.
