London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 08, 2026

SNP still owes money to Peter Murrell, Humza Yousaf confirms

SNP still owes money to Peter Murrell, Humza Yousaf confirms

The SNP still owes money to its former chief executive Peter Murrell, First Minister Humza Yousaf has confirmed.

Mr Murrell, who is married to Nicola Sturgeon, gave the party a loan of £107,620 in June 2021.

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

When asked whether the party still owed him money, Mr Yousaf told journalists: "I think there is money still absolutely outstanding to Peter Murrell in terms of the repayment of the loan."

The first minister said he would lay out details of how much is owed after a review into the party's governance takes place.

Mr Murrell, who has been married to Ms Sturgeon since 2010, was in charge of running the party organisation for more than 20 years until he resigned last month.

He was arrested by police at the start of April over an investigation into SNP finances and questioned by detectives for 11 hours before being released without charge pending further investigation.

Police launched a formal investigation into the party's finances in July 2021 after receiving complaints about how donations made for an independence referendum campaign had been used.

The SNP raised £666,953 through appeals between 2017 and 2020 with a pledge to spend these funds on a future campaign.

Questions were raised after its accounts showed it had just under £97,000 in the bank at the end of 2019, and total net assets of about £272,000.

Former chief executive of the SNP, Peter Murrell returning to his home in Glasgow. on Thursday


Last year it emerged Mr Murrell gave a loan of £107,620 to the SNP to help it out with a "cash flow" issue in June 2021, the month after the Scottish Parliament election.

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

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Murrell was seen in public for the first time since his arrest when he was spotted leaving the home he shares with Ms Sturgeon near Glasgow. Ms Sturgeon was seen later in the day also leaving the property.

Police spent two days searching the house earlier this month.

Ms Sturgeon has previously said she cannot recall when she first learned that her husband had loaned a six-figure sum of money to the party she led for more than eight years.

She added: "The resources that he lent to the party were resources that belonged to him."

On the same day as Mr Murrell was arrested, a motorhome was seized by police, which The Mail on Sunday reported had been sitting outside the Dunfermline home of Mr Murrell's 92-year-old mother since being delivered there in 2021.

The SNP has claimed that it was bought to potentially be used as a "campaign battle bus" ahead of the last Scottish Parliament election but was never used.

Ms Sturgeon's successor, Humza Yousaf, has previously said he was unaware that the party had bought the motorhome until he became party leader last month.

The motorhome was seized by police


On Wednesday, Colin Beattie resigned as SNP treasurer after his arrest the previous day as part of the police investigation. He was also subsequently released without charge pending further inquiries.

Mr Yousaf responded to questions about the SNP's finances by saying: "We are definitely not facing bankruptcy, I'm pleased to say we are on a steady footing when it comes to the party's finances.

"I don't think parliament is the place to do a statement on the party's finances.

"I've, of course, instructed the governance and transparency review and when the report comes in on that review, I'll make that public."

He has resisted calls for Ms Sturgeon, Mr Murrell and Mr Beattie to be suspended from the SNP while the police investigation is ongoing.

During First Minister's Questions, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross called on Mr Yousaf to make a statement to Holyrood on the SNP's finances.

He said there are "legitimate questions that the Scottish public deserves the answer to".

Mr Yousaf did not respond in the chamber to the calls for a statement, but told MSPs there are "serious issues" relating to the party which he will not "shy away from".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Federal Financial Framework Shifts as Treasury Launches Universal Savings Program for Minors
Jet2 Reports Strong Summer Travel Demand as Bookings Rise Seven Percent
Prince Harry Loses High Court Privacy Case Against Daily Mail Publisher
British Universities Warn Against Potential European Union Tuition Fee Changes
Heal Fertility Clinic Investigated After Embryo Biopsy Sample Mix-Up
Resolution Foundation Warns Regional Income Divide Has Barely Improved Since 1997
British Markets Remain Cautious as Middle East Tensions Rise and Government Transition Nears
Andy Burnham Poised to Become United Kingdom Prime Minister in Expected Political Transition
Nigel Farage Resigns as Member of Parliament Ahead of By-Election Amid Funding Investigation
Trump Declares Iran Ceasefire Over After Renewed Attacks on United States Bases
French Court Allows Le Pen to Run for Presidency, but with an Electronic Tag: "I Will Appeal, and I Will Run"
$1.4 Trillion: The Lawsuit That Could Crush Meta
Europe's Growing Struggle with Extreme Heat and Air Conditioning
UK Daily Briefing: Legal Developments and Social Issues
Political Turmoil and Rising Costs
Anthropic Reengineers Agentic Architecture to Shift Autonomous Workplace Automation to the Cloud
Logic Flaw in Windows 11 Permission Architecture Silently Consumes Hundreds of Gigabytes of Local Storage
Apple Advances Late-Stage Operating Systems with Fourth Beta Deployments
Global Crisis Alert: Escalating Middle East Tensions and UK Political Upheaval
UK Parliament Pushes for Greater Domestic Control Over Critical Technologies
UK Parliament Warns Trade Fair and Exhibition Industry Is Losing Global Competitiveness
Police Launch Murder Investigation After Mother and Two Children Found Dead Near Bedford
British Chambers of Commerce Survey Shows Business Confidence Falls to Post-Pandemic Low
UK Parliament Report Warns Britain Risks Falling Behind in Artificial Intelligence Sovereignty
Office for Budget Responsibility Warns United Kingdom Faces Long-Term Fiscal Pressures
Nigel Farage Resigns as Member of Parliament Amid Financial Scrutiny and Triggers By-Election
Deep Purple Has Released Its Best Album in Decades
UK MPs Criticise Student Loan System as Potentially Mis-Sold to Millions of Borrowers
Policy Groups Propose Bank of England-Backed Solar Loan Scheme for Millions of Homes
UK Health Agency Issues Amber Heat Alerts Across Six Regions as Temperatures Rise
Royal Air Force F-35 Jets Conduct First High North Air Policing Missions From Aircraft Carrier
Major UK Companies Join Government Cybersecurity Pledge Amid Rising Digital Threats
UK Sanctions Russian Operatives Linked to Chemical Weapons Programmes and Poisoning Cases
UK Government Expands Free Breakfast Clubs and Limits School Uniform Costs
UK Water Companies Face Tougher Penalties Under New Environmental Enforcement Rules
UK Universities Warn Funding Cuts Could Damage Skills Pipeline and Economic Growth
NHS Expands Artificial Intelligence Tools to Help Reduce Patient Waiting Lists
NHS Ombudsman Criticises Failures in End-of-Life Communication and Patient Care
NHS Launches Nationwide Vaccination Drive After Rise in Measles Cases
UK Government Introduces New Limits on Foreign-Linked Political Donations
Thames Water Creditors Advance £10 Billion Rescue Plan to Prevent Potential Public Ownership
Andy Burnham Prepares Labour Leadership Platform as Party Faces Post-Starmer Transition
UK Met Office Issues Heatwave Alerts for London and Southern England
Keir Starmer Blocks Earlier World Cup Kick-Off Time for England Match Against Mexico
NHS Digital Transformation and Media Consolidation Highlight UK Policy Priorities
UK Government Pushes Digital Trade Rules to Cut Export Costs for Businesses
Bank of England Plans Leverage Rule Changes to Support Government Bond Market
UK Police Operation Targets Organised Immigration Crime Networks With Hundreds of Arrests
Yvette Cooper Calls for Global AI Rules to Prevent Security Risks
NHS Begins Major AI Expansion Through £10 Billion Digital Investment Programme
×