A SNP veteran has said the position of Nicola Sturgeon ’s husband as party chief executive is becoming “more untenable” every day.
Jim Sillars said Peter Murrell is in “dangerous territory” over WhatsApp messages which appear to show him calling for pressure to be put on the police in the Alex Salmond case.
He added that the SNP’s governing body should ask Murrell to consider his position if it turns out he sent the messages.
The SNP has been struggling to contain the fallout over the Scottish Government’s investigation into claims of sexual misconduct against Salmond when he was First Minister.
After a court challenge by Salmond, the internal probe was ruled to be unlawful and tainted by apparent bias.
Salmond was separately charged with sexual offences and was acquitted after a trial earlier this year.
The initial Government probe is said to have destroyed the long-standing political friendship between Salmond and his successor Nicola Sturgeon.
As revealed by the Record, SNP MP Kenny MacAskill said he had received an anonymous document which appeared to contain messages by Murrell on the criminal side of the Salmond case.
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.”
Although the SNP was contacted last week about whether Murrell sent these messages, no answer was provided.
Sillars, the party’s former depute leader, said of the messages: “If true, it would be wholly inappropriate for the senior official of any political party to appear to be arguing for the prosecution of anyone in our society.”
“This is dangerous territory into which Peter Murrell, if true, has trod.”
He added: “Once the Daily Record had published, you would expect an absolute, total denial. None has come forth, and so it is reasonable to believe that there is truth in what you reported.
“If there is truth in what you reported, then someone is in a very tenuous position and should realise that.
“His position becomes more untenable every day.”
Sillars urged the SNP’s national executive committee to act: “The National Executive has a responsibility to ask Peter Murrell if what appeared in the Daily Record was true. If it was true, then I think they’ve got to ask Peter Murrell to consider his position.”
On the SNP failing to provide an answer on whether Murrell sent the messages, he said:
“It is a very simple question, but it is a dynamite question. The fact that it hasn’t been answered shows that there is dynamite waiting to go off.”
The SNP did not provide a comment.
