Nicola Sturgeon has said she feels as though she is 'serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit' after her estranged husband Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the Scottish National Party.
The former first minister, in a tearful interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, said she was 'coming to terms with being married to someone she did not know'. Murrell, who served as SNP chief executive, admitted taking the funds between 2010 and 2022 to fund a lavish personal lifestyle. Sturgeon, who announced her divorce from Murrell in January 2025, said she would not apologise for his crimes, telling The Guardian: 'I am not going to apologise for somebody else's crimes.' The emotional interview aired days after Murrell's guilty plea, and Sturgeon struggled to hold back tears as she described the betrayal.
“Nicola Sturgeon says she feels like she is 'serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit' after her estranged husband Peter Murrell admitted embezzling over £400,000 from the SNP. She refuses to apologise and criticises 'untrue' claims, as senior politicians call for an inquiry.”
The scandal has reverberated across the UK, with particular impact in Scotland where the SNP has dominated politics for years. Sturgeon, who resigned as first minister in 2023, has faced intense scrutiny over whether she could have known about the embezzlement. She has consistently denied any knowledge, and in an appearance at the Hay Festival in Wales, she hit out at critics, saying they were saying things about her that were 'not true'. Sturgeon has also moved to London, according to the Evening Standard, as she seeks to rebuild her life away from the political spotlight.
Senior politicians have called for an inquiry into the SNP's governance following the embezzlement. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that there 'should definitely be an inquiry because trust in politics has been fundamentally undermined by the Murrell affair'. The Scottish Parliament and UK government have not yet announced formal investigations, but pressure is mounting for a full probe into how the SNP handled party funds. The guilty plea has raised questions about oversight and accountability within the party, which has led Scotland since 2007.
For now, Sturgeon has made clear she will not take responsibility for Murrell's actions. 'I feel I am serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit,' she told The Scotsman, reflecting the personal toll the scandal has taken. The SNP has not commented on the calls for an inquiry, but the party faces a critical period as it navigates the fallout from Murrell's conviction.
What This Means For You – For Scottish voters, the case has eroded trust in the SNP and raised concerns about financial management within political parties. For UK readers, it highlights broader questions about accountability in politics and the need for robust oversight of party funding. The outcome of any inquiry could lead to tighter regulations on donations and expenditure, affecting parties across the country. Homeowners, renters, workers, pensioners, families, and students may all follow this story as it tests the integrity of the political system.