Committee publication · Correspondence · 1 July 2026
Correspondence from the Clerk of the House regarding embezzlement of funds from the Scottish National Party, 30 June 2026
Summary
The Scottish Affairs Committee Chair requests detailed information from the Clerk of the House about Short Money allocation mechanisms, safeguards, and audit procedures following Peter Murrell's conviction for embezzling SNP funds. The letter seeks clarification on whether Short Money itself may have been misused and asks the Clerk to assess whether current oversight systems are sufficiently robust to prevent such abuse.
Key findings
- Peter Murrell, SNP former Chief Executive, convicted of embezzlement of party funds during 2010–2022 period; potential involvement of Short Money funds remains unclear.
- Current oversight relies on auditor certificates confirming appropriate use of Short Money, but extent of supporting evidence and audit robustness is questioned.
- Committee seeks details of Short Money distribution mechanisms, existing safeguards, information requirements from recipients, and total allocations to SNP during criminal activity period.
- Committee requests Clerk's assessment of whether audit mechanisms are sufficiently robust to prevent criminal abuse of Short Money allocation system.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
party-fundingpublic-financeoversight-auditmisconduct
Key actors
Patricia Ferguson MP, Tom Goldsmith, Peter Murrell, Scottish National Party, Clerk of the House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP
Notable line
“… there has been speculation that Peter Murrell's criminal activity may have extended to the embezzlement of Short Money allocated by the House authorities to the SNP Westminster Group.”
Key Quotes
“Further to the conviction of Peter Murrell, former Chief Executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP) for embezzlement of party funds, I am writing to seek information regarding the allocation of public funds – 'Short Money' – by the House of Commons to political parties and the protections that exist to ensure their proper use.”
“… given the scale and duration of the criminal activity, it would assist the Committee if you could set out your reflections on the adequacy of the current system and safeguards for allocating Short Money to political parties.”
“The Committee would welcome your views on whether these mechanisms are sufficiently robust to prevent abuse of the system, including criminal activity.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗