LONDON — The husband of former Scottish first minister and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested in a birthday party finance probe, British media reported Wednesday.
Police in Scotland didn’t determine Peter Murrell because the 58-year outdated guy arrested Wednesday “in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party.” However, Britain’s Press Association, the BBC and others reported it was Murrell.
“Clearly it would not be appropriate to comment on any live police investigation but the SNP have been cooperating fully with this investigation and will continue to do so,” the party said in a statement released after the arrest.
Murrell, 58, resigned as the party’s chief executive March 18 amid a controversy about the party’s declining membership and the contest to replace Sturgeon.
Sturgeon, 52, announced her resignation in February after eight years as party leader and first minister of Scotland’s semi-autonomous government. Sturgeon said at that time that serving well was knowing when to make way for someone else.
“In my head and in my heart I know that time is now,” she stated. “That it’s right for me, for my party and my country.”
Deputy Scottish Labour leader Jackie Baillie stated the arrest was once “deeply concerning” and called on Sturgeon and her successor, Humza Yousaf, to “urgently state what they knew and when.”
Murrell’s resignation got here simply prior to his spouse left place of job and as 3 contributors of Scottish Parliament fought a sour contest to exchange her.
The SNP had publicly denied a newspaper record that its club had plunged from greater than 100,000 to only over 70,000 previously yr, prior to admitting it was once true. Murrell authorized accountability and give up, pronouncing that “while there was no intent to mislead, I accept that this has been the outcome.”
Police vehicles have been parked out of doors the couple’s Glasgow house Wednesday and a blue tent were erected via officials in entrance of the home.
Sturgeon had led Scotland since 2014, when Scots voted to stay phase of the United Kingdom. While the referendum was once billed as a once-in-a-generation choice on independence, Sturgeon and her Scottish National Party had driven for a brand new vote, arguing that Britain’s departure from the European Union had modified the bottom laws.
The Scottish govt desires to carry a referendum subsequent October with the query “Should Scotland be an independent country?”
The U.Ok. govt in London refuses to approve a vote, pronouncing the query was once settled in a 2014 referendum that noticed Scottish citizens reject independence via a margin of 55% to 45%.
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