First Minister John Swinney has confirmed that more than £660,000 raised by the SNP for an independence referendum campaign has been used on the party's “ongoing activity”. The revelation comes amid ongoing scrutiny of SNP finances, which led to former chief executive Peter Murrell admitting last week that he embezzled over £400,000 from the party.
The independence fund, collected via two online fundraisers after Nicola Sturgeon announced plans for a second referendum in March 2017, was initially described as “ring-fenced” for a referendum campaign. Sturgeon had said “every penny” would be used for that purpose. However, by 2021 she was denying claims the money had “gone missing”.
Asked how the fund has been used, Swinney told Bauer Media: “That money is part of the resources that are available to the SNP to support its independence objectives and the SNP is the party of independence and that's what we campaign for.” He added that the party had just fought an election campaign with a “very, very strong anchoring” on independence, and questioned what else the resources would be for.
The fund has not been highlighted as part of the prosecution's case against Murrell, but questions remain. In October 2020, blogger Stuart Campbell complained that the independence fund had “vanished” into the “party machine”, noting the SNP had just £97,000 in the bank and net assets of £272,000 in its previous year's accounts. Former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie said in 2021 that while some money had not been spent directly on a referendum campaign, “amounts equivalent to the sums raised will be spent for the intended purpose”.
Concerns about the fund prompted complaints to Police Scotland, leading to a formal investigation in July 2021 that ultimately exposed Murrell's embezzlement. Swinney declined to apologise to whistleblowers, insisting the party had “very strong” financial controls in place and was open to reimbursing members who lost out.
