SNP still owes Peter Murrell £60,000, party accounts reveal

The SNP still owes Peter Murrell £60,000 three years after he loaned the party money, accounts reveal.

The former chief executive loaned his party £107,620 to help with cash flow after the 2021 Holyrood elections.

Murrell, who is married to former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, was charged in connection with embezzlement of SNP funds earlier this year.

Sturgeon and former treasurer Colin Beatie were also arrested last year but were released without charge, pending further investigation.

The accounts published last week show the party recorded a financial surplus last year of £661,568 after reporting a deficit of £804,278 in 2022.

Peter Murrell is still owed money from the SNP. STV News

The increase in funds came largely from two levies imposed on party branches which totalled £670,000.

The party used the cash to help campaign in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, which it lost to Labour, and the General Election.

The SNP’s auditors said the accounts gave a “true and fair view” of its finances in 2023 but said it could only give a “qualified opinion” due to missing documents.

“During the course of our audit, we identified that original documentation in respect to some items of cash and cheques received, relating to membership, donations and raffia income were not kept by the party prior to July 2023”, AMS accountants said.

“We have been unable to satisfy ourselves by alternative means regarding the completeness of income for the current and prior year in respect of the above limitation in scope.

“Consequently, we are unable to determine whether any adjustment to income is necessary in the current year or prior year and the potential impact on opening reserves accordingly.”

The accountants issued a similar warning in last year’s accounts. But STV News understands the SNP expects this issue to be gone next year.

Politics

SNP membership continues to plummet as 10,000 leave in a year

The SNP membership has almost halved from its peak of 125,000 in 2019.

The party’s membership has also fallen again, this time by 10,000, to 64,525.

“Our membership has fallen from recent historic highs,” the party said in its accounts filed with the Electoral Commission.

“In addition, our members continue to face the same cost of living pressures as everybody else.

“This impacts not only on membership income, but on donations and fundraising income too.”

The Scottish Conservatives said the accounts “continue to raise serious questions for the SNP”.

Chairman Craig Hoy said of the party: “They are astonishingly still in debt to the tune of £60,000 to their disgraced former chief executive Peter Murrell.

“It is now three years since they made any repayment on that loan.

“The SNP must explain why they have not severed all ties with him and when they are going to do the right thing and pay this money back.”

The SNP said it would be “inappropriate” to comment on the loan from Murrell while the police investigation into party finances is ongoing.

A source said: “The Tories are bankrolled by Russians and donors they themselves have called ‘racist’ while the SNP is financed by ordinary Scots.

“Like the Scottish Tories, these comments are nonsensical and pointless.”