Jubilant Nicola Sturgeon hails ‘consequence I at all times anticipated’ after she is dramatically CLEARED by police probe into SNP funds – whereas her estranged husband faces court docket
Nicola Sturgeon hailed the ‘outcome I always expected’ and said she had been ‘vindicated’ today after being dramatically cleared by the police probe into the SNP‘s finances.
The former Scottish First Minister – who recently announced she will not run for re-election as an MSP next year – is no longer under investigation.
Former party treasurer Colin Beattie has also been ruled out of Operation Branchform, according to Police Scotland.
Both were arrested in 2023 but released pending further enquiries.
Speaking outside her home, Ms Sturgeon said she was ‘relieved’ after having a ‘cloud’ hanging over her for a ‘frustrating’ two years.
‘I am completely in the clear, that is the outcome I would always have expected,’ she said.
‘As I have said to all of you many times, I have done nothing wrong so I was confident of reaching at this point and getting to this outcome.’
She said she had the ‘utmost respect’ for the police and prosecutors, but felt a ‘little bit of vindication’ and there was not a ‘scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong’.
Ms Sturgeon said she was not reconsidering her decision to leave Holyrood, insisting politics was still in her ‘blood’ but she was looking forward to pursuing other interests.
In a statement, Police Scotland said: ‘Following direction from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, criminal inquiries into two people arrested as part of the investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party have now concluded.
‘The 73 year-old man arrested on April 18 2023, and the 54 year-old woman arrested on June 11 2023, have not been charged and are no longer under investigation.’
Former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, pictured outside her house today, has been cleared in a police investigation into the SNP ‘s finances
The cover of Nicola Sturgeon’s memoirs was revealed online earlier this week
The news emerged after Ms Sturgeon’s estranged husband and former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell appeared in court charged with embezzlement. He entered no plea and has been bailed.
Ms Sturgeon made clear she would only be commenting on her own situation, and not providing a ‘running commentary’ on developments.
‘As first minister of this country for the best part of a decade, I have utmost respect for the police and for the prosecution authorities, and I’m never going to say or do anything to undermine that,’ she said.
‘All I can say is that I have done nothing wrong and I don’t think there was a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong.
‘And therefore, of course, to have something like this hanging over me for almost two years now has been difficult, it’s been frustrating and I don’t think I’m saying anything there that people would be surprised to hear.’
The ex-SNP leader announced last week that she will be quitting as the MSP for Glasgow Southside at elections next spring.
Ms Sturgeon ruled Scottish politics for years before she walked away from Scotland’s top job in March 2023.
Her decision not to stand came despite reports last month that she had been given the green light by the party to be a candidate.
Ms Sturgeon is due to release a book about her life and political career this summer.
She revealed this week that the title will be ‘Frankly’.
Billed as a ‘unique blend of personal insight and captivating vignettes’, the blurb on online shopping site Amazon says it is ‘remarkable for its honesty and self-reflection’.
It also describes Ms Sturgeon as ‘Campaigner. Leader. Pioneer.’
But critics suggested that the former First Minister’s track record meant it would have to be stocked in the ‘fantasy section’ of bookshops, adding that she had a ‘brass neck’ to give it such a title.
Ms Sturgeon has been working on the book since at least 2023, when publisher Pan Macmillan picked up the UK rights in a hotly-contested auction.
The book, for which she received an advance of £300,000, promises to be a ‘personal and revealing memoir’ which charts Ms Sturgeon’s journey from ‘working-class’ Ayrshire to becoming Scotland’s First Minister.
The news emerged after Ms Sturgeon’s estranged husband and former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell (pictured together in 2014) appeared in court charged with embezzlement
The book will see Ms Sturgeon give her account of her relationship with predecessor Alex Salmond
Amazon describes the book, set to be released on August 14, as: ‘Full of the verve and wit that made Sturgeon one of the most high-profile politicians in the UK, this is a unique blend of personal insight and captivating vignettes.
‘Infused throughout with a love of Scotland and its people, it honestly discusses Sturgeon’s mistakes, her battles, and her triumphs.’
However, critics have been far less generous to Ms Sturgeon’s political legacy, arguing that public services north of the border are in crisis and her quest for independence looks further away than ever.
Brexit, Covid and – of course – Scottish independence: How Sturgeon battled Westminster during eight years in power
Nicola Sturgeon is the longest-serving first minister in Scotland’s history, having spent more than eight years in Bute House.
Her time in power saw her lead Scotland through seismic events in Britain’s history including the Brexit vote – which she fiercely opposed – the Covid crisis, and the death of the Queen.
Nicola Sturgeon is the longest-serving first minister in Scotland’s history, having spent more than eight years in Bute House
The SNP leader, pictured aged 14, was born in Irvine, North Ayrshire in 1970
Throughout it all, the former SNP leader pushed her party’s campaign for Scotland to tear up the 300-year-old Act of Union and break away from the UK.
Ms Sturgeon’s efforts to force a second Scottish independence referendum – along with a second Brexit vote – were the source of huge tension with all five prime ministers that served at Westminster during her spell in power.
But they were also the cause of dissent within the SNP’s own ranks, with many internal party critics questioning her strategy or accusing her of being too slow to push for another independence vote.
In addition to the constitutional row, Ms Sturgeon faced huge pressure over her Scottish government’s management of the NHS and schools, with Scots having suffered a long-running ambulance crisis.
There were also other domestic rows over a multi-million pound ferries contract, and sex assault claims against her predecessor Alex Salmond.
Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon was born in Irvine, North Ayrshire, in 1970 to mother Joan, a dental nurse, and father Robin, an electrician.
She became a member of the SNP at the age of just 16 and, after studying law at the University of Glasgow, she embarked on a career as a solicitor.
Ms Sturgeon was the SNP’s youngest candidate at the 1992 general election when, at the age of 21, she unsuccessfully contested the seat of Glasgow Shettleston.
She also failed to get elected to the UK Parliament at the 1997 general election but, following the creation of the Scottish Parliament, she became an MSP in 1999.
Ms Sturgeon entered elected office after becoming an MSP following the creation of the Scottish Parliament
She attended a 1992 rally in favour of Scottish independence alongside maverick politician George Galloway and pop singer Pat Kane
Ms Sturgeon served as deputy to SNP leader Alex Salmond, her political mentor, for ten years between 2004 and 2014
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election saw Ms Sturgeon (pictured in 2008) chosen as MSP for Glasgow Govan, having previously been elected on a regional list
Ms Sturgeon pictured at a ‘Wear It Pink’ fundraiser at the Scottish Parliament in September 2019
Ms Sturgeon became Mr Salmond’s running mate during his successful 2004 bid for the SNP leadership.
She was leader of the opposition at Holyrood between 2004 and 2007, until Mr Salmond was elected an MSP himself.
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election saw Ms Sturgeon elected as MSP for Glasgow Govan, having previously been elected on a regional list.
But, more significantly, the SNP’s emergence as the largest party at Holyrood saw the party form a minority administration under Mr Salmond as First Minister and Ms Sturgeon as his deputy.
In the wake of the ‘Yes’ campaign losing the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Mr Salmond resigned as first minister with Ms Sturgeon replacing him after no other challenger came forward.
Under her leadership, the SNP won a landslide in Scotland at the 2015 general election with the party winning 56 out of 59 Scottish constituencies as Labour and the Liberal Democrats suffered an almost total wipeout.
But she suffered a blow the following year when the SNP lost its majority in the Scottish Parliament.
Ms Sturgeon frequently clashed with Theresa May and Boris Johnson (pictured below) over Brexit following the 2016 EU referendum
Ms Sturgeon, pictured in 2016, seized on the Brexit vote to push her case for a second Scottish independence vote
Little more than a month later, another huge challenge was to come when the UK voted to leave the EU.
Ms Sturgeon, a fierce opponent of Brexit, soon seized on the Leave result to push her case for another Scottish independence referendum.
In the hours after the EU referendum result, Ms Sturgeon insisted a second Scottish independence vote was ‘highly likely’.
She claimed it would be ‘democratically unacceptable’ for Scotland to be taken out the EU after a majority of voters in her country backed Remain.
Ms Sturgeon soon engaged in regular battles with first Theresa May and then Boris Johnson as the UK Government undertook the process of untangling Britain from the EU.
The onset of the Covid pandemic in early 2020 also led to further tensions between Ms Sturgeon and Mr Johnson, as they repeatedly clashed over lockdown restrictions.
With health a devolved matter, the First Minister used her powers to set her own Covid rules in Scotland, while the Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive did the same.
At the same time, daily televised press conferences further increased Ms Sturgeon’s prominence as a national leader and saw her popularity soar among Scottish voters in the early months of the crisis.
Ms Sturgeon also saw her former political mentor, Mr Salmond, cleared of sexually assaulting nine women while he was first minister.
The court case led to a breakdown in Ms Sturgeon’s relationship with her one-time ally, and also put severe pressure on her position as his successor.
An inquiry later found she had misled the Scottish Parliament over her meetings with Mr Salmond in 2018 over the allegations against him.
Yet a Holyrood committee stopped short of ruling Ms Sturgeon had ‘knowingly’ misled MSPs, which would have been a breach of the ministerial code and a resignation matter.
Amid her fresh push for independence, the First Minister had to deal with a growing number of domestic scandals
The First Minister used her powers to set her own Covid rules in Scotland during the pandemic
Ms Sturgeon’s long spell in power has seen her lead Scotland through a series of seismic events, including the death of the Queen
During her time as SNP leader, Ms Sturgeon’s party has increased its number of seats at Westminster
The pandemic delayed the Scottish Parliament elections, scheduled for 2020, until 2021 when the SNP once again fell short of winning a majority at Holyrood.
Prior to the elections, Mr Salmond formed the new pro-independence Alba Party in a direct challenge to the SNP and provided yet another clear sign his relationship with Ms Sturgeon had completely broken down.
The 2021 election result was a double blow for Ms Sturgeon because, as well as depriving her of a majority again, opponents insisted it weakened her claim that she had a mandate to seek another independence referendum.
Yet the First Minister soon pushed ahead with plans for a new vote and ordered a series of reports on how Scotland might operate outside of the UK.
She also set October 2023 as a target date for a second referendum.
But her plans were soon in tatters again when the Supreme Court ruled that the Scottish Government could not legislate for an independence vote without Westminster’s prior position.
This saw Ms Sturgeon threaten to turn the next general election into a ‘de facto’ referendum.
Amid her fresh push for independence, the First Minister was also having to deal with a growing number of domestic scandals.
This included a rumbling row over a contract for the construction of new ferries, which has become known as the ‘ferries fiasco’, as well as an ambulance and A&E crisis in NHS Scotland and increased scrutiny over the SNP’s record on education.
But the bitterest dispute came over Ms Sturgeon’s decision to push ahead with controversial gender identity reforms in Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon pictured in 2007 promoting Glasgow’s bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games
She celebrates with SNP MPs elected after the 2019 general election at an event in Dundee
Despite fierce opposition in Holyrood and numerous protests outside the Scottish Parliament, MSPs voted in favour of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.
The legislation was aimed at making it easier for trans people to obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC), which is legal recognition of their acquired gender.
But, in a dramatic move, then-PM Rishi Sunak vowed to block the Bill from becoming law due to concerns over its impact over UK-wide equality laws.
Ms Sturgeon described Westminster’s block as an ‘outrage’ and threatened fresh legal action.
Yet, in the wake of that row, there came intense scrutiny of the management of transgender prisoners in Scotland.
Although she denied ‘short-term issues’ were behind her decision to quit as first minister in 2023, many viewed it as the final factor in her resignation.
