Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to sack her husband as SNP chief executive after he admitted sending messages which called for the police to be pressurised over the Alex Salmond case.
The Daily Record reported this morning that Peter Murrell had admitted sending the texts.
Scots Tory leader Douglas Ross said: “The chief executive of the governing party has admitted sending messages calling for the police to be pressured into action against their former boss, Alex Salmond.
“This is a shattering, extraordinary revelation and leaves Peter Murrell’s position as chief executive of the SNP completely untenable."
A Holyrood committee is currently investigating the SNP Government’s botched handling of sexual misconduct allegations against Salmond when he was first minister.
Salmond was also separately charged with sexual offences in January 2019, but was acquitted earlier this year.
SNP MP Kenny MacAskill, a Salmond ally, last month said he received an anonymous document about the criminal side of the Salmond case.
It appeared to show text messages by Murrell in January 2019 on the day after Salmond was charged with sexual offences.
It was also the month in which a separate complaint was made about Salmond to the Metropolitan Police, an investigation the London force later dropped.
The first message stated: “Totally agree folk should be asking the police questions... report now with the PF on charges which leaves police twiddling their thumbs. So good time to be pressurising them. Would be good to know Met looking at events in London.”
The second message stated: “TBH the more fronts he is having to firefight on the better for all complainers. so CPS action would be a good thing.”
The SNP had refused to comment on whether Murrell sent the messages, but we revealed this morning that the CEO has admitted to sending the texts.
Ross said: “We must now be told what Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Government ministers knew about these messages. Had they seen them? Did they know about them? Were they asked to pressure the police?
“Nicola Sturgeon has to take responsibility. This is her government, her party, and it’s up to her to do the right thing and immediately act.
“She oversees the actions of the SNP chief executive. There is nobody else to blame.
“The First Minister must sack Peter Murrell or her judgement is gone.”
An SNP spokesperson said: “The Tories’ desperation to politicise matters before the Committee is in extremely bad taste.
“Mr Murrell has fully addressed matters in his written evidence to the Committee. The leaked extracts of his text messages have been deliberately taken out of context and are intended to misrepresent events.”
