Another tough week for the Scottish National party has come to a close, leaving viewers wondering what could possibly come next. Surely the nats will do all they can to toe the line to ensure the party’s reputation doesn’t diminish still further? But contradictions and hypocrisy remain in full swing at SNP HQ, with First Minister Humza Yousaf today confirming that Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the party arrested last week over a police investigation into party finances has not been suspended from the party.
Yousaf’s admission has ruffled a rather large number of feathers – not least among one of his own colleagues, the nationalist MSP Michelle Thomson. Back when she was an MP Thomson was suspended by the party while the police investigated whether her property dealings involved mortgage fraud. The difference, however, was that police sources made clear that Thomson herself was not the subject of an investigation. Murrell, on the other hand, has been released without charge after his arrest last week, pending further investigation.
‘What specifically are the rules around membership?’ a rattled Thomson asked while on BBC radio this morning. ‘I think that’s the sort of thing we need to be very clear about because we’ve had different examples in different cases. The governance of the SNP needs to be tightened up.’ And while Murrell’s membership status has now been confirmed, the party refused to say at first whether the former chief executive had been suspended or not.
So much for Humza’s new era of transparency…
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