England Scotland: Sturgeon’s husband briefly arrested
Former Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon (L) and her husband Peter Murrell before a Mass at St Paul’s Cathedral, London. Photograph
© Kirsty O’Connor/PA Wire/dpa
Until recently, Peter Murrell was in charge of the ruling party’s finances – and was also married to the outgoing prime minister. This incident has given rise to new speculation.
Shortly after Nicola Sturgeon resigned as Scottish Prime Minister, her husband was arrested. Police Scotland announced yesterday that Peter Murrell had been arrested and is now being questioned by investigators in an investigation into Scottish National Party (SNP) funding. The 58-year-old was released in the evening without charge.
Until recently, Murrell was in charge of the governing SNP’s finances, but eventually had to resign from the key party office due to conflicts including the number of members in the party. The party, which did not want to comment on the investigation, said it was fully cooperating.
The arrest will fuel speculation about Sturgeon’s own reasons for stepping down. In February, he announced his retirement from leadership of the party and government after more than eight years citing personal reasons. His party colleague Hamza Yusuf, 37, has been the new head of government in Britain’s north since the start of the week. After a hectic election campaign, he wants to rally the party behind him.
The Scottish National Party works in government with the Scottish Green Party and represents liberal-progressive politics. However, the most important goal is to get Scotland out of the UK as an independent country and back into the EU.
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