The shock arrest of Peter Murrell last week in an investigation into the Scottish National Party’s funding and finances has hit the party’s reputation and, political commentators say, could hurt its raison d’etre: the goal of declaring independence from the UK.
The party's former chief executive was detained for more than 11 hours before being released without charge pending further investigation.
His arrest plunged the party, which is campaigning to break up the UK with an independent Scotland, into further turmoil after Mr Murrell’s wife, Nicola Sturgeon, stepped down as party leader and first minister in February.
“It’s not doing it any good, let’s get that out of the way,” Scottish political commentator Iain Macwhirter told The National.
Weeks after Ms Sturgeon resigned as party leader saying the independence cause would be better served by a new leader, her husband Mr Murrell resigned his long-held position as chief executive. There was little sign at the time of the thunderclap about to explode over the party, its credibility as a government and its prime mission to secure the break-up of the UK.
Mr Macwhirter pointed to remarks by the politician the party has appointed to keep its operations going in the face of the scandal, Mike Russell, who said hopes to rerun the 2014 referendum – which failed by a margin of 55 to 45 – were now implausible.
“The whole raison d’etre of the SNP is independence and the president of the party and acting CEO, Mike Russell, said at the weekend that he didn’t think independence was possible for some time," he noted. “That’s kind of the first time we have had serious recognition from a senior figure that there is a problem with the route to the indy ref two, as they call it, the second independence referendum.”
Mr Macwhirter said the arrest has a “direct effect” on the fortunes of the SNP.
“As a number of people have said, you can’t erase the images of a police forensics tent in front of the former first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s house," he said.
"And you can’t erase the sight of her husband, the sight of the former chief executive being arrested and questioned. He was released without charge, but the police say the investigation is continuing.”
Police Scotland is looking into the spending of more than £660,000 ($818,790) that was earmarked for an independence campaign.
The force launched a formal investigation into the SNP’s finances in the summer of 2021 after receiving several complaints about how donations were used.
The party had pledged to ring-fence the sum for a second referendum on independence – but the money was allegedly spent instead, leaving just £97,000 in the bank in late 2019, with total assets of about £272,000.
The police investigation has been described by Mr Russell as the party's biggest crisis in 50 years.
He said he does not think independence can be achieved "right now".
In an interview with The Herald newspaper, Mr Russell said recent weeks had been "wearing" for the SNP, which recently selected Humza Yousaf to succeed Ms Sturgeon as party leader.
He said: "In my 50-year association with the party this is the biggest and most challenging crisis we've ever faced, certainly while we've been in government.
"But I have an obligation to this party and the movement for Scottish independence that's been such a massive part of my life for so long."
"I don't think independence can be secured right now; we need to work towards some co-ordinated campaigning," Mr Russell added. "But I think this is achievable. My main focus is how we can create a new Yes movement that allows for different visions but conducted in an atmosphere of mutual trust."
Polls show the Scottish public is deeply divided over the question of independence, nine years after the country voted against the prospect by a margin of 55 per cent to 45 per cent.
“Support for independence has not collapsed as much as people thought it would have by now,” Mr Macwhirter said.
“And support for independence is still about 45 per cent yes to 55 per cent no. Maybe a little bit more than that. It’s hardly changed since then, nine years.
“There has been a marginal drift towards yes. But that’s definitely been halted.”
Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell arrested - in pictures
A spokesman for YouGov told The National a recent survey showed current support for independence is "almost identical to the referendum result in 2014".
He said: “When last asked a month ago, 54 per cent of Scots said they would vote ‘no’ in an independence referendum, with 46 per cent backing independence, almost identical to the referendum result in 2014.
“Since the referendum, support for remaining in the UK has tended to be above support for leaving, although we did see the biggest 'yes' lead of any YouGov poll at 53 per cent in December 2022.
“What we have seen is that, by and large, people are sticking to their guns when it comes to how they would vote – 79 per cent of those who backed independence say they still do, while 87 per cent of 'no' voters would vote the same way again.”
That followed questions about the size of the SNP’s membership during the recent leadership election.
The number of members, revealed as 72,186 as of February 15, 2023, was down from 104,000 in 2021.
Murray Foote, the SNP’s communications chief, had previously described reports of the drop as inaccurate and “drivel” – but later said he had been “acting in good faith” once it had been confirmed.
Mr Murrell, who has been married to Ms Sturgeon since 2010, was blamed for having misinformed Mr Foote and resigned as SNP's chief executive ahead of a vote of no-confidence.
Mr Russell said there will now be a wide-ranging review of the SNP's governance and transparency, as promised by Humza Yousaf, who was sworn in as First Minister recently.
Police erected a tent and spent two days searching Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell’s house in Glasgow on Wednesday and Thursday.
The party’s Edinburgh headquarters were also searched, with boxes of items removed.
It later emerged that on the same day as Mr Murrell’s arrest, police had also seized a luxury camper van in connection with the investigation.
The Niesmann+Bischoff motorhome, worth about £110,000, was taken from a house in Fife about the same time police searched the home of Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell, according to the Mail on Sunday.
The vehicle was seized from outside the home of Mr Murrell's mother, Margaret Murrell, it said.
On Wednesday, reports emerged that the camper van had been intended to be an election “battle bus” in the 2021 Holyrood campaign.
Sources in the party said the motorhome was bought during the pandemic to use during the 2021 Holyrood elections as a mobile campaign room.
But it was reportedly never used because Covid restrictions were lifted in April of that year.
Neighbours said it had never left the driveway before officers confiscated it.
