Sir Keir Starmer stated on Wednesday that the Scottish National Party (SNP) faces "giant questions" regarding the scandal surrounding former chief executive Peter Murrell, who was recently sentenced for embezzling over £400,000 from the party.
Starmer criticized Scotland's First Minister John Swinney for his administration's refusal to support a parliamentary inquiry into the matter. The issue was raised in the House of Commons a day after Murrell was sentenced to five years and three months in prison. Conservative MP John Lamont questioned Prime Minister Starmer, highlighting that "serious questions about governance and oversight remain unanswered" and that the law allows for a UK inquiry into devolved matters with wider public interest. He urged Starmer to establish an inquiry with the necessary powers before leaving office.
"It is really a serious set of questions that need to be answered by the SNP and the (Scottish) Government, and they simply refuse to do so," Starmer responded. "They call for transparency and accountability for everybody else, when they have giant questions of their own to answer 'nothing to see here, don't want to know, don't want to have an inquiry'. Totally the wrong approach."
Tory MPs are advocating for a Westminster investigation, following SNP and Green MSPs' opposition to a Scottish Parliament inquiry. The Westminster Scottish Affairs Committee is also evaluating whether to launch its own probe into the implications for institutions such as the Crown Office, Police Scotland, and the Scottish Government. However, a decision is expected to be delayed pending responses from the Electoral Commission and the Speaker of the House of Commons, and to allow newly formed Holyrood committees time to consider their own inquiries.
Following the parliamentary exchanges, Lamont expressed disappointment that Starmer "stopped short of giving his wholehearted support for an inquiry to take place as soon as possible," which he believed would have increased pressure on Swinney.
During Murrell's sentencing, Lord Young noted that Murrell had managed to "circumvent" checks and balances due to his position as SNP chief executive, though he also commented that the embezzlement method was "not particularly sophisticated." Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay argued that these remarks undermined any suggestion of Murrell being a mastermind and demonstrated that Swinney and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon either "emboldened Murrell" through "non-existent financial controls" or "enabled Murrell by shutting down valid questions."
Joanna Cherry KC is among those calling for a parliamentary inquiry, accusing the former SNP leadership of hostility towards members who questioned party finances and governance related to Murrell's actions. She stated that Murrell would not have continued his actions for so long without the "hostility to debate, transparency and scrutiny enforced by the SNP leadership and their cronies and the harassment and intimidation of those who dared to speak up."
Three former members of the SNP's finance and audit committee, who resigned in March 2021 due to concerns about the party's financial health, also voiced concerns about how their issues were handled. They stated that the response to their resignation was "deeply concerning" and expressed appreciation for Police Scotland's professionalism.
Mr. Swinney has previously rejected calls for a parliamentary inquiry, asserting that the case had "a very clear criminal justice conclusion." He acknowledged a "heavy reliance on trust" within the party but conceded that "checks and balances" could be subverted by individuals like Murrell. Last month, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for questions to be raised about how Murrell, a man with assets abroad, qualified for legal aid, and urged Swinney to include this in any independent review. Swinney, however, accused Labour of "trying to score grubby political points" and maintained that his party was "the victim of an embezzlement."