Humza Yousaf facing calls to suspend Nicola Sturgeon from SNP after email leak
Humza Yousaf is facing calls to suspend Nicola Sturgeon from the SNP over claims her attempts to shut down scrutiny of the party’s finances are now being investigated by police.
Leaked emails appear to show that the former first minister stopped plans to hire a fundraising manager for the party – a move for which colleagues had called in a bid to improve scrutiny and transparency of how money was being raised and spent.
Meanwhile, a leaked video has emerged from the SNP’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) in which Ms Sturgeon angrily dismissed claims that there were “any problems” with the party accounts.
She insisted its finances had “never been stronger” and that there were “no reasons for people to be concerned about the party’s finances” in March 2021.
Peter Murrell, Ms Sturgeon’s husband, was arrested and the home the couple share, on Glasgow’s outskirts, was searched by police on April 5 as part of a long-running investigation into SNP finances. Mr Murrell was released without charge while the investigation continues.
Mr Murrell, the long-serving SNP chief executive, who resigned last month, loaned the party £107,620 to address what the SNP said were “cashflow” issues just weeks after Ms Sturgeon claimed there were no financial problems.
Ms Sturgeon is due to return to Holyrood on Tuesday, but Mr Yousaf, who replaced her last month after standing as a “continuity candidate” in the leadership contest, is under increasing pressure to suspend her party membership.
Other SNP figures have been suspended after it emerged that they are being looked at by police, although Mr Yousaf has so far refused to back revoking Mr Murrell or Ms Sturgeon’s membership.
Responding to reports in The Sunday Mail that Ms Sturgeon’s alleged attempts to avoid scrutiny were under investigation, Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, said Mr Yousaf must take action.
“This bombshell revelation goes to show just how central Nicola Sturgeon was to the secrecy and culture of cover-up that festered within the SNP,” she said.
“She has big questions to answer over her actions, and Humza Yousaf must consider suspending her party membership and that of her husband, former chief executive Peter Murrell, until the investigation has been concluded.”
Leaked emails from June 2021 appear to show that Ms Sturgeon blocked the appointment of an SNP fundraising manager.
Police had already launched an investigation into how £600,000 in donations, solicited by the SNP for independence referendum campaigns that never happened, had been spent.
Notes from an SNP governance review group from June 2021 state: “CB [Colin Beattie, the party treasurer] can see benefits of a fundraising manager. KB [Keith Brown, the SNP deputy leader] mentioned this was declined by NS [Nicola Sturgeon].”
Meanwhile, a video has also been leaked of Ms Sturgeon addressing the party’s NEC in March 2021, warning officials to be “very careful” about suggesting there were “any problems” with the accounts. The meeting came after a slate of pro-transparency candidates were elected by SNP members to the ruling body the previous November.
