Jailed former Scottish National Party (SNP) chief executive Peter Murrell effectively controlled the official Yes Scotland campaign and its finances, according to bombshell claims from a former insider. Ian Dommett, who served as Yes Scotland's marketing director until January 2014, told the Sunday Mail that Murrell dictated decisions and oversaw high-value donations intended for the pro-independence umbrella group.
Dommett stated he could not carry out any work during his tenure “that wasn’t under Murrell’s control.” His testimony directly contradicts the SNP’s long-standing position that Yes Scotland operated as a legally separate entity from the party. Dommett, a marketing executive with three decades of experience, worked closely with the SNP under former First Minister Alex Salmond from 2004 before joining the Yes campaign in 2012. He now lives and works in England and is no longer involved in Scottish politics.
Allegations of SNP Domination Over Yes Scotland
Dommett alleged that the SNP “tightly controlled” Yes Scotland from its inception, particularly Murrell, and that this extended to donations from high-value supporters such as lottery winners Colin and Christine Weir, who donated £3.5 million to the Yes campaign. He claimed the Nationalists “effectively ran” the cross-party campaign from early 2014, leading to the dismissal of senior Yes Scotland staff around that time. Dommett was the fourth of five directors to be removed, and he believes Murrell orchestrated his departure after a falling out over sharing research with other pro-independence groups like the Greens and Scottish Socialists.
Despite Yes Scotland recording £2.4 million in income by April 2013—much from donations—Dommett said the money did not “trickle down” to fund campaign activities. He described a “real struggle” to finance operations, as Murrell allegedly sold lorry loads of Yes-branded merchandise, with proceeds going to the SNP rather than the campaign. Dommett recalled: “We turned up at SNP conference in 2012 with a couple of tables full of t-shirts. Outside was an articulated lorry full of Yes-branded stuff. That money was going to the SNP.” He added that this happened repeatedly, frustrating efforts to raise funds for grassroots campaigning.
Political Reactions and Calls for Inquiry
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “These alarming claims must urgently be addressed by John Swinney and the SNP. People donated their money in good faith. They must have reassurance their money was used appropriately.” Scottish Tory deputy leader Rachael Hamilton added: “For years, the SNP insisted Yes Scotland was a separate organisation, but this account suggests something very different. John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon were both very senior figures in the SNP throughout this period. They owe the public answers, not more stonewalling, and they should finally back a full independent inquiry.”
Angus MacNeil, a former SNP MP from 2005 to 2024 who now belongs to the Alba Party, said: “The SNP had huge influence, definitely bordering on control, over Yes Scotland. On the day-to-day, Peter Murrell would have been very involved. It was generally accepted that they didn't get their own way 100 per cent of the time but they got it most of the time. There's no way you would have Yes Scotland off doing its own thing.” MacNeil described the relationship as “hand in glove,” noting that the SNP was the dominant force in Scottish independence politics.
Financial Irregularities and Murrell’s Conviction
The Sunday Mail previously reported that police are investigating allegations of £1.5 million unaccounted for in the books of Yes Scotland Ltd, the company behind the campaign. Dommett expressed shock at Murrell’s guilty plea in May 2026 to embezzling £400,000 from the SNP between 2010 and 2022, including during the referendum period. “I fell off my chair when he admitted it. I thought all along that it must have been some kind of mistake,” Dommett said. He noted that Murrell had been his client when the embezzlement began, and he had no idea about the purchases of luxury goods from retailers like Le Creuset and Amazon.
Dommett also highlighted the SNP’s reported withholding of a £2 million “war chest” for Yes Scotland at its launch, half from the Weirs and half from a bequest by poet Edwin Morgan. He claimed that despite pleas to Murrell for fundraising support, “We were on a hiding to nothing... You could just tell his foot was on the pipe.”
Responses from Yes Scotland and SNP
A spokesperson for Yes Scotland rejected the allegations, stating: “All of the income received by Yes Scotland is fully accounted for and it is grossly defamatory to say otherwise. There now appears to be a desperate attempt to link Mr Murrell’s criminal conduct in the SNP to that of Yes Scotland. To make it perfectly clear, Mr Murrell never at any time had access to Yes Scotland’s accounts.” They said Dommett’s removal was “nothing to do with Mr Murrell” and that he was not involved in financial matters. The spokesperson confirmed the Weirs donated directly £3.5 million to Yes Scotland starting in August 2012, not via the SNP.
The SNP said: “Yes Scotland Ltd is and was an entirely separate entity to the SNP. Throughout the referendum campaign Yes Scotland was run by an independent board of directors. As everyone knows, the SNP was a major partner in Yes Scotland and campaigned with Yes Scotland during the referendum.”
