Murrell scandal: MPs call on Holyrood committees to help investigate

MSPs will be asked to work with MPs to discover more about the SNP finance scandal.

The Scottish Affairs Committee (SAC) has agreed that its chair, Patricia Ferguson, should write to Scottish Parliament committees to “explore the potential” for “joint working” over the Peter Murrell case.

Murrell embezzled more than £400,000 from the SNP while working as chief executive of the party.

He admitted guilt and was sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment.

MSPs voted against holding a parliamentary inquiry into the matter and instead backed a probe into the funding of all political parties.

The vote was not binding and so that process may not take place.

The SAC considered holding an inquiry of its own, but determined that Holyrood, not Westminster, was the “most appropriate place” to do so.

No correspondence between the SAC and Holyrood panels on the issue has yet been published.

In a statement, the committee said it would “not be making any further comment on the matter at this stage”.

Murrell’s prosecution was over the misuse of donations to the SNP from members of the public.

The committee also wrote to the Commons’ authorities to query whether short money received from the public purse may have been involved.

The SNP received £8million between 2009-10 and 2021-22 – the period of Murrell’s offending.

In his response, Commons clerk Tom Goldsmith has said he had “no reason to believe there are systemic weaknesses with the system”, which requires annual independent audits. However, he said he would “look carefully” at the committee's findings and recommendations.

Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission told Ferguson it had seen “no evidence of misuse of policy development grant funds by the SNP” in annual compliance checks.

In a letter, John Pullinger, chair of the watchdog, said it was “currently working with the SNP to review any past accounts, declarations or disclosures, following the conviction of Peter Murrell”, adding that “if there is evidence of any misuse, the commission will take appropriate action to safeguard public money”.