Senior Conservative MPs are calling for former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, to give evidence to an upcoming Westminster inquiry into the fallout from the Scottish National Party's (SNP) embezzlement scandal. The probe, launched by the Scottish Affairs Committee, aims to address lingering questions surrounding the £400,000 embezzlement case.
Harriet Cross, Shadow Scottish Secretary and a member of the committee, stated that the public still has many unanswered questions, particularly given the expenditure of public money on the criminal investigation by Police Scotland. "It does seem right that the public get answers to those," Cross said. She emphasized that the best answers often come directly from those involved, indicating a preference for testimony from Sturgeon and Murrell.
Alex Burghart, Conservative Party deputy leader, echoed this sentiment, asserting that the public and press deserve full disclosure and transparency. "I would certainly like to see both of them giving evidence in public," Burghart commented.
The Scottish Affairs Committee has the authority to compel witnesses to attend and provide evidence, with potential sanctions for non-compliance, including fines or imprisonment.
The inquiry is expected to examine two main areas. One will focus on the funding and governance of political parties in Scotland, with specific attention to the SNP's finances and any involvement of public money in the embezzlement case. The second probe will investigate the merits of splitting the dual role of the Lord Advocate, who serves as both the Scottish Government's chief legal advisor and head of the prosecution service.
Susan Murray, the Liberal Democrat Scottish affairs spokesman and a committee member, has previously advocated for senior SNP and Scottish Government figures to be summoned to give evidence. The SNP has been approached for comment on the calls for Sturgeon and Murrell to testify. The party has not yet confirmed whether its representative on the committee would support inviting them to give evidence.
In separate comments, Burghart criticized a recent SNP proposal for a food price cap on essential items, calling it "economically illiterate" and potentially unworkable or damaging to supermarkets. Cross suggested the proposal was a political tactic to provoke a dispute with Westminster. A Scottish Government spokesperson defended the price cap idea as a necessary measure to assist households struggling with the cost of living crisis.