SNP Faces Fresh Attacks Over £400,310 Embezzlement as Swinney Pushes New Independence Vote
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 26
SNP Faces Fresh Attacks Over £400,310 Embezzlement as Swinney Pushes New Independence Vote
16 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 26
John Swinney’s first full day of Holyrood business was overshadowed after Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,310.65 from SNP funds, prompting opposition claims the party had also “embezzled” voters.
Swinney pressed ahead with a symbolic motion for powers to hold a second independence referendum, but offered no new legal or constitutional route to force UK government consent.
Anas Sarwar said the SNP was putting its own interests ahead of families facing a cost-of-living crisis, while Russell Findlay argued Murrell’s crime destroyed the party’s claim to manage an independent Scotland’s finances.
Ross Greer backed Swinney, saying the SNP’s 58 seats plus the Greens’ 15 created Holyrood’s biggest pro-independence majority, though Conservatives countered that pro-UK parties won 59% of regional votes.
After its ex-CEO embezzled party funds, can the SNP win public trust for another independence vote?
Is the SNP’s referendum push a distraction from the cost-of-living crisis and its own internal scandal?
SNP in Crisis: Peter Murrell’s £400,000 Embezzlement, Party Fallout, and the Erosion of Public Trust
Overview
Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the SNP, admitted to embezzling over £400,000 from party funds between 2010 and 2022 to support a lavish lifestyle. His guilty plea in May 2026 was described by Judge Lord Young as a gross breach of trust, sending shockwaves through the party. SNP leader John Swinney apologized to members, expressing horror and a sense of overwhelming betrayal. The scandal exposed deep failures in party oversight, damaged public trust, and raised serious questions about the SNP’s internal governance and the future of the Scottish independence movement.