London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Aug 13, 2025

SNP auditors quit amid Peter Murrell police investigation

SNP auditors quit amid Peter Murrell police investigation

The firm that audits the SNP's finances has resigned, the BBC has learned.

Accountants Johnston Carmichael, which has worked with the party for more than a decade, said the decision was taken after a review of its clients.

Police investigating the SNP's finances this week searched the home of former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell - Nicola Sturgeon's husband. He was arrested and released without charge.

The BBC understands Johnston Carmichael resigned before Mr Murrell's arrest.

A spokesperson for the SNP said it was in the process of finding a replacement firm.

Police Scotland has been investigating the SNP's finances since July 2021.

On Wednesday, Mr Murrell was arrested while dozens of officers carried out a high-profile search at his Glasgow home and SNP headquarters in Edinburgh.

Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell had high profile roles in the SNP for years


Ms Sturgeon, Scotland's former first minister, was at the house when police arrived but said she had "no prior knowledge" of Police Scotland's plans.

Mr Murrell was questioned while the search took place then released without charge on Wednesday evening.

First Minister Humza Yousaf, who succeeded Ms Sturgeon last week, said his party had "fully co-operated" with police and would continue to do so.

He said that he was "very, very clear that the governance of the party was not as it should be".


Why are police investigating the SNP?


*  Police Scotland launched an investigation in July 2021 after complaints about how SNP donations were used.

*  The funds were donated for a new independence referendum campaign.

*  The SNP raised £666,953 through referendum-related appeals between 2017 and 2020.

*  Nicola Sturgeon said she was "not concerned" and "every penny" would be spent on the independence drive.

*  Questions were raised after SNP accounts showed just £97,000 in the bank at the end of 2019, and total assets of about £272,000.

Mr Murrell, who has been married to Ms Sturgeon since 2010, resigned last month after taking responsibility for misleading statements about a fall in party membership.

Last year it emerged that he gave a loan of more than £100,000 to the SNP to help it out with a "cash flow" issue after the last election.

The party had repaid about half of the money by October of that year.

At the time an SNP spokesman said the loan was a "personal contribution made by the chief executive to assist with cash flow after the Holyrood election".

He said it had been reported in the party's 2021 accounts.

Weeks earlier, MP Douglas Chapman had resigned as party treasurer saying he had not been given the "financial information" to do the job.

The SNP is required to prepare financial statements in accordance with the Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act 2000. It has until 7 July to present their accounts to the Electoral Commission.

If there is no report and no reasonable excuse, the commission has the power to appoint its own firm of auditors.

The SNP's accounts for 2021 were published on 16 August 2022.

The party's total income was £4,510,460, total expenditure was £5,262,032, assets were £1,630,454 and liabilities were £1,055,689.

Electoral Commission rules state any party with income or expenditure of more than £250,000 is required by law to also independently audit their accounts and include this report in their submission.

Scottish Labour's deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the resignation of Johnstone Carmichael was a deeply worrying development that posed "serious questions" about the SNP's financial affairs.

She said: "Yesterday, Humza Yousaf attempted to distance himself from the legacy of Peter Murrell - today we need to know what the current first minister plans to do to get the SNP's house in order.

"Sunlight is the best disinfectant - we need transparency and openness from the SNP now."

Meanwhile, Scottish Conservative constitution spokesperson Donald Cameron said the SNP should be "fully transparent" over why their auditors decided to quit.

He said: "The public are sick of the SNP shrouding matters relating to their finances behind a wall of secrecy, and senior figures - including Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon - must be upfront about this situation."

Following the firms resignation, SNP MP for the Outer Hebrides Angus MacNeil, said his party had "to get back to the effective, efficient and open ways" of the Alex Salmond years.

A spokesperson for Johnston Carmichael said: "As a regulated organisation, we adhere to our obligations on client confidentiality and do not discuss client business."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Investigation Reports No Russian Interference in Romanian Election First Round
Oasis Reunion Tour Linked to Temporary Rise in UK Inflation
Musk Alleges Apple Favors OpenAI in App Store Rankings
Denmark Revives EU ‘Chat Control’ Proposal for Encrypted Message Scanning
US Teen Pilot Reaches Deal to Leave Chile After Unauthorized Antarctic Landing
Trump considers lawsuit against Powell over Fed renovation costs
Trump Criticizes Goldman Sachs Over Tariff Cost Forecasts
Perplexity makes unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash offer for Google’s Chrome browser
Kodak warns of liquidity crisis as debt obligations loom
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Taylor Swift announces 12th studio album on Travis Kelce’s podcast after high-profile year together
South Korean court orders arrest of former First Lady Kim Keon Hee on bribery and corruption allegations
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
JD Vance to meet Tory MP Robert Jenrick and Reform’s Nigel Farage on UK visit
Trump and Putin Meeting: Focus on Listening and Communication
Instagram Released a New Feature – and Sent Users Into a Panic
China Accuses: Nvidia Chips Are U.S. Espionage Tools
Mercedes’ CEO Is Killing Germany’s Auto Legacy
Trump Proposes Land Concessions to End Ukraine War
New Road Safety Measures Proposed in the UK: Focus on Eye Tests and Stricter Drink-Driving Limits
Viktor Orbán Criticizes EU's Financial Support for Ukraine Amid Economic Concerns
South Korea's Military Shrinks by 20% Amid Declining Birthrate
US Postal Service Targets Unregulated Vape Distributors in Crackdown
Duluth International Airport Running on Tech Older Than Your Grandmother's Vinyl Player
RFK Jr. Announces HHS Investigation into Big Pharma Incentives to Doctors
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Security flaws in a carmaker’s web portal let one hacker remotely unlock cars from anywhere
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Trump Urges Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to Resign Over Alleged Chinese Business Ties
Scotland’s First Minister Meets Trump Amid Visit Highlighting Whisky Tariffs, Gaza Crisis and Heritage Links
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
×