Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon, born on July 19th, 1970, is a Scottish politician who held the position of First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 until 2023. She has been a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999, first as an additional member for the Glasgow electoral area and then as a member for Glasgow Southside (formerly Glasgow Govan) since 2007.
Peter Murrell, the husband of former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, was arrested on 5 April 2023 in connection with an investigation into Scottish National Party (SNP) finances. Police Scotland carried out searches at a number of addresses, including the SNP headquarters in Edinburgh and the home of Murrell and Sturgeon in Glasgow. Murrell was later released without charge pending further investigation. Sturgeon’s spokesperson stated that she had no prior knowledge of the police action and would cooperate with any requests. In this article, we will delve deeper into Nicola’s husband, Murrell’s career, controversies, and their relationship.
Meet Nicola Sturgeon’s Husband, Peter Murrell
Peter Murrell was the head of the Scottish National Party before. (SNP). He is married to Nicola Sturgeon, who used to lead the SNP and be Scotland’s first minister.
Peter Murrell has been associated with the SNP since 1999 when he replaced Michael Russell as the party’s CEO. Before that, he had worked in the Banff and Buchan constituency office of Alex Salmond, the former party leader. Murrell was credited with the party’s success in the 2007 elections due to his organizational skills.
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Inside Nicola And Pete’s Relationship
Peter Murrell has been married to Nicola Sturgeon since 2010. The couple met in 2003, and they announced their engagement in 2010. They got married on 16 July 2010 at Òran Mór in Glasgow. Reflecting on her marriage in 2012, Sturgeon told the Daily Record that “being in the same kind of line of work has its upsides and its downsides. The upside is that Peter understands what’s going on and why I am late home all the time. The downside is that you just end up talking about it all the time and you never leave it outside.”
Controversies Regarding Murrell
Murrell has faced several controversies in recent years, the most prominent of which was his testimony to the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints in December 2020. Following his testimony, Murrell was reported to the Lord Advocate by committee member Murdo Fraser, who alleged that Murrell had made a “false statement” under oath. Murrell denied the allegations, and the investigation is ongoing.
Murrell is also being questioned by party members about where £600,000 that was given to the party may have gone. Scotland’s police are looking into a claim that $600,000 went missing because of scam. The Scotsman reported in June 2021 that Police Scotland had been asked to look into Murrell because lotto winners Colin and Christine Weir had given money to SNP, which they later asked to be returned to them.
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Murrell has also been asked questions by the Scottish Labour and Conservative parties about a £107,620 interest-free loan made to the SNP on June 20, 2021, but not reported to the Electoral Commission until more than a year after the July 20, 2021 deadline. The SNP said it did not report the loan because it “did not think” it was important enough to report. The loan was to help the party with its cash flow troubles.
The controversies surrounding Murrell have led to calls for his resignation from within the party. When Sturgeon announced her resignation as First Minister on 15 February 2023, SNP MP Joanna Cherry called for Murrell to step down as CEO of the party, stating that “the SNP Leadership & party management have been deeply bound together. I cannot see any circumstances in which Peter Murrell can continue as Chief Executive under a new leader who must be free to choose a successor.”