Another day brings another bombshell revelation about Scotland’s ruling party. Yesterday morning the SNP treasurer Colin Beattie was arrested by police investigating the party’s finances. It now transpires that Beattie has quit as the SNP’s national treasurer following his arrest. He also states that he will ‘be stepping back from my role on the Public Audit Committee until the police investigation has concluded’.
The arrest follows the arrest of Peter Murrell, Nicola Sturgeon’s husband who was previously the party’s chief executive, earlier this month. Murrell was released without charge pending further enquiries. In a statement, Police Scotland said:
A 71-year-old man has today, Tuesday, 18 April 2023, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party. The man is in custody and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives. A report will be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The matter is active for the purposes of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and the public are therefore advised to exercise caution if discussing it on social media. As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further.
It comes two days after Beattie was reported to have told the party’s ruling council that it was running out of cash following an exodus of 30,000 members and the unexpected legal costs linked to the continuing police investigation into the party’s funding. He told the national executive committee that the SNP was ‘having difficulty in balancing the books due to the reduction in membership and donors’ and that ‘We need to find money to keep the party going forward or we’ll keep cutting our tail until there’s nothing left.’
What will be left at this rate?
