A LABOUR peer has said Westminster should consider rolling back devolved powers if the SNP does not cooperate with a probe into the party's finances.
It comes as calls have been made by opposition parties in Westminster and Holyrood for a parliamentary inquiry into how former chief executive Peter Murrell was able to embezzle more than £400,000 from the party.
George Foulkes, now a life peer after previously serving as Scotland secretary, as an MP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, and as an MSP for the Lothians region, made the comments on Twitter/X.
He said: "Holyrood is a Parliament whose powers are devolved from Westminster and can be amended or even withdrawn by the UK Parliament
"If the SNP continue to act irresponsibly and illegally on financial matters then that is something that should be considered."
Holyrood is a Parliament whose powers are devolved from Westminster and can be amended or even withdrawn by the UK Parliament. If the SNP continue to act irresponsibly and illegally on financial matters then that is something that should be considered. https://t.co/oy1hkIuVSz
— George Foulkes (@GeorgeFoulkes) June 5, 2026
This was in relation to an SNP source telling the Daily Record that the party would not be obliged to take part in a Westminster financial probe if one was initiated.
Tory MP Harriet Cross and Labour MP Douglas McAllister – who are both members of the Scottish Affairs Committee – have said the Westminster body could hold the inquiry if the Scottish Parliament does not
Cross, the MP for Gordon and Buchan, said: “I will be encouraging other parties on the Scottish Affairs Committee to back an inquiry in an effort to unearth the details and answers the public deserve.”
McAllister, the MP for West Dunbartonshire, added: “My preference is for the Scottish Parliament to investigate. However if Holyrood fails to hold an inquiry, then the Scottish Affairs Committee should do so.
“The SNP have received taxpayers' cash through short money."
John Swinney has repeatedly rejected calls for an independent investigation.
The First Minister has insisted no investigation would be “more detailed” than the one carried out by Police Scotland.
Speaking two days after Murrell appeared in court, the Swinney said it was clear that “there can be nothing more detailed than a police investigation”.
He said: “The police investigation has led to a criminal case. There has been a prosecution and there has been a guilty plea, and there will be sentencing taking place as a consequence.
“So, all these issues have been looked at.
“We know what the problem was – the problem was criminal behaviour and the police have identified that and the individual involved has been prosecuted.
“You cannot get any inquiry more detailed than a police inquiry, and I think we should all respect the fact there has been a detailed inquiry into all the issues.”
Foulkes has long been a critic of the SNP and has previously called for the Scottish Government to be prevented from spending in areas such as independence and foreign engagement.
He told the BBC in 2023 that the UK is not a "Union of equals” and it was never meant to be, instead saying it is a “myth that has been put around by the SNP”.
Then first minister Humza Yousaf criticised the comments, saying he had said “the quiet bit out loud”, adding that "Scotland is seen as secondary, an afterthought by Westminster. Independence, being equal to any other independent nation, is perfectly normal."
Foulkes has also previously said there should be "consequences" for the Scottish Government if it spends money in reserved areas, alleging the SNP was "illegally spending" money on projects like independence referendum studies.
He claimed that the SNP has been spending taxpayers’ money on “bad-faith projects at the expense of Scotland’s public services”.
He previously wrote: “An obvious example of this overreach is the huge public spend on new overseas 'embassies' in countries which already have a Scottish Development International (SDI) office.
He has also previously criticised Scottish politicians for “pontificating on global crises, which Scotland has no chance of resolving”.
