Officers from Police Scotland stand by police tape and a police tent outside the home of former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP) Peter Murrell, in Uddingston, Scotland, on April 5. The husband of former Scottish first minister and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested in a party finance probe.Andrew Milligan/The Associated Press
The Scottish National Party has been thrown into turmoil after the husband of former leader Nicola Sturgeon was arrested on Wednesday as part of a police investigation into the party’s finances.
Police arrested Peter Murrell early in the morning at the couple’s suburban home in Glasgow while dozens of officers carried out an extensive search of the property. Police erected a forensic-style tent on the driveway and could be seen combing through garbage cans and scouring sections of the garden. Another team of officers also raided the head office of the SNP in Edinburgh.
Mr. Murrell was released without charge Wednesday evening after nearly 12 hours in police custody. In a statement, Police Scotland said he had been held “in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party.”
In a statement, Ms. Sturgeon said she had “no prior knowledge” of plans to arrest her husband and added that she will co-operate with the investigation. The SNP also promised in a statement to continue co-operating with the probe.
Ms. Sturgeon and Mr. Murrell, who married in 2010 after a lengthy relationship, had been Scotland’s power couple for more than a decade.
She served as deputy leader for eight years before taking over as SNP leader, and Scotland’s First Minister, in 2014. Ms. Sturgeon, 52, stunned the party in February by announcing plans to step down, saying she no longer had the stamina for the position.
Mr. Murrell, 58, had been the SNP’s chief executive since 1999. He played a key role in transforming the party from a bit player in Scottish politics into a campaign juggernaut. After helping to guide the SNP to power in 2007, Mr. Murrell managed 11 consecutive election victories at all levels of government.
But the couple came under criticism for consolidating too much power and Mr. Murrell became the focus of controversy.
He resigned last month amid questions about the party’s membership figures. Mr. Murrell took responsibility for providing misleading information to the media about the figures, which later showed that membership had dropped from 104,000 in 2021 to just over 72,186.
He has also been at the centre of the police probe into party finances which began in 2021. Police are investigating £666,953 in donations to the SNP from 2017 to 2020. The money was supposed to have been earmarked for a second referendum campaign on Scottish independence, but some of the cash allegedly went to fund other activities. Questions surfaced when the party’s 2021 financial report showed a loss of £752,000 and £145,000 in cash.
The SNP has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the case.
Last year, the party also confirmed that Mr. Murrell lent the SNP £107,620 in 2021 to address cash flow issues. The SNP said the party had repaid about half the money as of October, 2021.
Mr. Murrell’s arrest is the latest twist in a downward spiral for the SNP since Ms. Sturgeon announced her resignation.
The party has just gone through a fractious leadership race during which the three candidates attacked each other and questioned Ms. Sturgeon’s tenure. The eventual winner, former health secretary Humza Yousaf, took just 52 per cent of the vote among party members and he has already had trouble uniting the party’s factions and convincing voters that he represents a fresh start.
Support for the SNP has also been falling steadily in recent opinion polls and the Scottish Labour Party is only a few points behind in some surveys.
Mr. Yousaf said Mr. Murrell’s arrest will be a further blow. “My reaction, as you’d imagine, much like anybody involved in the SNP, is that this is a difficulty for the party,” he told reporters. “People will have questions, there will be some concerns. Our party membership will have concerns too.”
He denied that the police investigation played a role in Ms. Sturgeon’s decision to quit. “I believe her very much when she says how exhausted she was,” he said.
Opposition politicians said the arrest and police investigation have raised serious issues about the SNP and how it is managed. “There are big questions to be asked of both Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon and, in the fullness of time, I hope those questions are asked,” said Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar.