London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

Former SNP MP jailed for embezzling £25,000

Former SNP MP jailed for embezzling £25,000

Natalie McGarry sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling funds from pro-independence groups
A former Scottish National party MP who embezzled almost £25,000 from two pro-independence groups has been jailed for two years.

Natalie McGarry, who represented Glasgow East between 2015 and 2017, was convicted of two charges of embezzlement, totalling £24,635, in May after a trial at Glasgow sheriff court.

A jury found her guilty by majority of a charge of embezzling £19,974 while she was treasurer of Women for Independence (WFI), a group she helped set up, between 26 April 2013 and 30 November 2015.

She was also found guilty by majority of a second charge of taking £4,661 between 9 April 2014 and 10 August 2015 when she was treasurer, secretary and convener of the Glasgow Regional Association of the SNP.

In a statement that expressed relief that the long-running investigation was finally over, the national committee of WFI said it was disappointed McGarry had received a custodial sentence.

“Women for Independence has been long associated with campaigning for justice for women caught up in the criminal justice system … The general pattern of offending by women is such that we believe most women serving custodial sentences would be better served by community disposals which do not disrupt families, children or in the long run cost more.”

It added that the guilty verdict was “a final vindication for our actions [reporting McGarry to the police], which were criticised by some quarters at the time”.

Sentencing McGarry, Sheriff Tom Hughes said she had betrayed people who put their trust in her and that a custodial sentence was inevitable.

He told her: “It’s quite clear that society has a right to expect the highest standards from those who seek and eventually achieve high public office.

“Through your role in these offences, you have not only betrayed the trust placed in you by others, but your standards have fallen well short of those the public should have a right to expect from MPs.”

During the six-week trial, the court heard from dozens of witnesses, including Scotland’s former health secretary Jeane Freeman, who was also one of the founding members of WFI, one of the most significant grassroots groups to emerge from the 2014 campaign.

Freeman explained that she reported McGarry after noticing a significant shortfall in WFI accounts. She described her “growing unease” as McGarry delayed handing over receipts and invoices that would show what the funds had been spent on.

She said she had no idea donations made to the group’s independence Crowdfunder were going from the organisation’s PayPal account into McGarry’s personal bank account.

Freeman said she felt “a significant responsibility” to trace what had happened to money that had been donated by “women and men, many of who could not afford very much at all, and they’d given it in trust”. The court also heard from witnesses that McGarry had financial difficulties and regularly received loans from family and friends.

That included from Humza Yousaf, the Scottish health secretary, who gave McGarry £600 to prevent her from being evicted from her house.

The court saw McGarry’s bank records, which showed Crowdfunder donations from WFI being transferred to her own personal account.

McGarry was elected to represent the Glasgow East constituency for the SNP in 2015, but resigned the whip after she was first linked to allegations of missing donations in November of that year.

She continued in parliament as an independent MP representing Glasgow East but did not seek re-election in 2017.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×