Committee publication · Correspondence · 9 July 2026
Correspondence to the Clerk of the House regarding embezzlement of funds from the Scottish National Party, dated 6 July 2026
Summary
The Scottish Affairs Committee writes to the Clerk of the House on 6 July 2026 following correspondence about embezzlement in the Scottish National Party. The Committee expresses concern that independent audit arrangements failed to detect Peter Murrell's decade-long misappropriation of SNP funds, querying whether current safeguards for Short Money (state funding for opposition parties) are robust enough to prevent similar criminal activity and seeking clarification on House oversight of party account access and Police Scotland's contact with House authorities.
Key findings
- Police investigation (Operation Branchform) into Peter Murrell found SNP embezzlement went undetected for over a decade despite auditors having sight of SNP accounts; detected only through police complaints.
- Committee concerned that audit processes intended to safeguard Short Money allocations are insufficient and questions reliance on auditors appointed by political parties themselves.
- Committee seeks confirmation of whether House authorities know which individuals are authorised to access/operate party accounts receiving Short Money and whether SNP Westminster Group funds could have been transferred to other SNP-operated accounts.
- Committee asks whether Police Scotland contacted House authorities regarding Short Money during Operation Branchform investigation.
- Clerk of the House previously concluded no systemic weaknesses in current system; Committee challenges confidence in this assessment given Murrell case.
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Patricia Ferguson MP, Tom Goldsmith, Peter Murrell, Scottish Affairs Committee, Police Scotland, Scottish National Party, Vicky Rock
Notable line
“… the embezzlement of funds from the SNP went undetected for over a decade and only came to light as a consequence of complaints made to the police, despite auditors having sight of the SNP account over that period.”
Key Quotes
“The Committee is concerned that the processes intended to safeguard public funds allocated to political parties should themselves be capable of identifying potential misuse of funding, including criminal activity.”
“Given your conclusion that there are no systemic weaknesses in the current system, how confident are you that malfeasance similar to Mr Murrell's could not be repeated in the future, with regard to Short money, without being spotted promptly?”
“… the case demonstrates the extent to which criminality can be prolonged on account of the authority and influence of the individuals involved.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗