Police have arrested Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s former first minister, as part of an investigation into the finances of the governing Scottish National party.
The arrest on Sunday marks a major escalation in a police probe that has plunged the pro-independence SNP, which has governed Scotland since 2007, into an unprecedented crisis. It is a big blow for Sturgeon’s successor, Humza Yousaf, in his attempts to stabilise the SNP after a succession battle that exposed deep divisions within the party.
Sturgeon, who formally resigned as party leader and first minister in March, is the third person to be arrested in connection with the investigation. The police probe dates back to 2021 and was sparked by complaints related to donations made to the SNP to fight a future independence referendum.
In a move that sent shockwaves across Scotland, the SNP’s former chief executive, Peter Murrell, who is also Sturgeon’s husband, was arrested in April. Colin Beattie, its then treasurer, was arrested later that month. Both men were released pending further investigation.
Murrell, who became the SNP’s CEO in 1999 and married Sturgeon in 2010, resigned in March after the party admitted it had about 30,000 fewer members than it claimed after Sturgeon announced her intention to resign as first minister in February and the race to replace her began.
Police Scotland, the national force, said it had arrested a 52-year-old woman on Sunday in connection with the ongoing investigation and the person was being questioned by detectives. A person familiar with the situation confirmed that the arrested person was Sturgeon.
A spokesperson for Sturgeon said the former first minister had attended an interview with Scotland Police “by arrangement”, where she would be arrested and questioned in relation to the investigation, known as Operation Branchform. “Nicola has consistently said she would co-operate with the investigation if asked and continues to do so.”
The arrest of Scotland’s longest-serving first minister, and the first woman to hold the job, signals the potential downfall of a figure who dominated Scottish politics and was a thorn in the side of successive UK prime ministers as she pushed for a second independence referendum. Scots voted in 2014 by 55-45 per cent to stay in the more than 300-year old union with England.
Scotland’s governing party, previously known for its discipline and tight control by a small group close to Sturgeon and Murrell, has been mired in division and complaints about its governance since Sturgeon’s resignation.
Yousaf, who was perceived as the continuity candidate, narrowly defeated former finance minister, Kate Forbes. He says he is committed to reforming the party, but a legacy of controversies have overshadowed attempts to promote his agenda.
