Starmer accuses SNP of 'pretending' not to know about Peter Murrell crimes

Sir Keir Starmer has accused the SNP of “pretending” not to know that their former chief executive Peter Murrell was embezzling money.

Murrell, the ex-husband of former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, was jailed for five years and three months for embezzling more than £400,000 from the party over a 12-year period.

Responding to a question from SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir promised to deliver “some home truths”.

He said: “Before he or any of them give any more advice to me or this House, let’s have some home truths.

“Their chief executive has just been jailed for five years for embezzlement.

“They’re all pretending they didn’t know anything about it. They couldn’t even see the motorhome parked in the driveway, apparently.

“And now they’re blocking an inquiry into the Scottish Parliament. Before they offer any more advice, they should look in the mirror.”

Sir Keir was responding to a question from Doogan about the Government’s Defence Investment Plan (Dip), which the Angus and Perthshire Glens MP branded “paper-thin”.

The SNP Westminster leader said: “I am gravely concerned that time after time this Prime Minister, in response to the abject and honest criticism of his Defence Investment Plan, he cites recent trends in defence spending when he should be calibrating it against the chronic and very real threat that the people on these islands face.
“In his limited time left in Number 10, will he get a grip of his paper-thin plan?”

Before hitting out about Murrell, Sir Keir said: “This is the party that thinks we should give up the nuclear deterrent, and he stands there to talk about defence, so we need no more advice and sanctimonious nonsense from the SNP.”