Scottish Affairs Committee seeks testimony from former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

The Scottish Affairs Committee announced a probe into political party funding and has indicated a desire to call former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as a witness. The inquiry focuses on the Electoral Commission’s role in supervising public money given to parties, highlighted by Peter Murrell’s recent admission of embezzling £400,000 from the SNP. Labour’s Douglas McAllister and Liberal Democrat Susan Murray have publicly expressed that Sturgeon’s testimony would be valuable.

The committee also plans to question former SNP MP Douglas Chapman, who resigned as party treasurer in 2021, and possibly other members of the party’s finance and audit committee, including long-serving treasurer Colin Beattie. If Sturgeon declines, the committee can compel attendance or refer the matter for contempt. The investigation covers the SNP’s receipt of £2.2 million in policy development grants and £8.2 million in short-money funding between 2010 and 2022.