A VETERAN SNP MP has urged a Westminster committee not to open an inquiry into the Peter Murrell embezzlement scandal.
In a post on Twitter/X, Pete Wishart said that, as a former chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee (SAC), he had written to current chair Patricia Gibson warning that such a move would exceed its remit and could risk shredding its credibility.
It comes as calls have been made by opposition parties in Westminster and Holyrood for a parliamentary inquiry into how former the SNP chief executive and estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon was able to embezzle more than £400,000 from the party.
Wishart’s central contention is that an inquiry into “the financial arrangements and internal governance of one of Scotland’s political parties” lies “beyond any reasonable interpretation” of the committee’s purpose.
“The purpose of the Scottish Affairs Committee is to scrutinise the work of the Scotland Office and to examine the policies, administration and expenditure of the UK Government as they affect Scotland,” he said in his letter.
“An inquiry into the financial arrangements and internal governance of one of Scotland's political parties would therefore fall beyond any reasonable interpretation of the Committee's remit. Pursuing such an inquiry risks undermining the reputation for balanced and inclusive scrutiny that the Committee has worked hard to establish.”
As a former Chair I've written to the SAC cautioning them not to impose an inquiry on the Murrell prosecution. Select committees work best when they work consensually in cross party inquiry and this is beyond remit. It took one side in the indyref and lost credibility as a result pic.twitter.com/rYZfFn5IrI
— Pete Wishart (@PeteWishart) June 7, 2026
The veteran MP also pointed back to the fallout from the 2014 independence referendum, when he said the committee was “widely perceived to have adopted a partisan stance – resulting in Scottish ministers and senior civic figures declining to engage.
“Rebuilding trust and confidence took a number of years and required a sustained commitment to impartiality, consensus-building and constructive engagement,” Wishart said.
“Embarking upon an inquiry into matters that properly belong to the jurisdiction of the Scottish Parliament, and doing so without its consent, risks reopening old divisions and damaging relationships that have been carefully rebuilt.”
He then added that it is “highly likely” the Scottish Government and the SNP would decline to participate and – thus – “significantly diminishing the value of any conclusions reached”.
Wishart concluded: “I therefore hope the committee will think very carefully before pursuing a course of action that could once again raise questions about its impartiality and potentially damage its relationships with key stakeholders across Scotland.”
The SAC is set to have a debate on Monday to decide whether to undertake an inquiry.
