Nicola Sturgeon’s ex blew £400k of celebration money on £2k umbrellas, GTA and her personal guide

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party, spending it on an extraordinary shopping list of lavish and quirky items

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Disgraced former SNP boss Peter Murrell blew plundered party cash on a mind-boggling shopping list. The 61-year-old high-flyer raided SNP coffers to fund an eye-watering array of luxury goods, including premium £3,200 coffee maker, almost £2,000 worth of umbrellas and even a copy of a book written by his now-estranged wife, Nicola Sturgeon.

The jaw-dropping shopping habits of the political insider have been laid bare in a explosive 126-page indictment. Prosecutors say hundreds of transactions were bankrolled by cash stolen from the party, offering a fascinating peek into what Murrell was doing with the money.

Murrell has admitted embezzling a staggering £400,000 from the SNP, sparking the long-running Operation Branchform probe.

The ex-husband of the former First Minister, who announced they were splitting in January 2025, used the party’s wallet to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Alongside a notorious luxury motorhome and two cars, the cash went towards high-end gadgets and quirky collector’s items, reports the Mirror.

Among the wildest purchases on the rap sheet was a state-of-the-art Celestron NexStar computerised telescope coming in at £1,199, complete with extra add-ons bought on the same day.

The high-spending executive also splashed out on a £3,231 on a top-of-the-range Jura Giga 5 Cromo coffee machine, £2,618 on designer salt and pepper grinders and nearly £2,000 on just eight umbrellas.

He also forked out £943 on a stylish oak library ladder, £625 on a Royal Mint silver proof coin set and £550 on an Airbus model helicopter.

It wasn’t just luxury splurges, either. Murrell seemingly used the party’s cash to kit out his house down to the smallest detail.

The indictment reveals a string of domestic purchases, including a pair of toilet seats that cost nearly £70, a £60 designer bread bin, alongside washing-up bowls, soap baskets and a Jamie Oliver wooden spoon set.

The fallen SNP chief clearly fancied himself a bit of a chef, treating himself to a Le Creuset wine cooler and champagne opener set, an Oxo egg poacher and nearly £200 worth of cupboard organisers to keep it all neat.

When it came to personal grooming and entertainment, he didn’t skimp. The court papers show he bought three designer manicure sets for a cool £294, a special edition Beatles fountain pen and rollerball set worth £1,475, and four “space pens” for £89.

When he wanted to kick back after a hard day at the office, Murrell turned to gritty TV and video games. He treated himself to boxsets of Scandi-noir hits Borgen and The Killing, alongside copies of Grand Theft Auto V, Battlefield 4 and FIFA 2014. A classic Monopoly board game also made the cut.

In perhaps the most unusual purchase of the lot, prosecutors revealed he spent £22 of embezzled cash on a copy of Women Hold Up Half the Sky: Selected Speeches of Nicola Sturgeon.

The eclectic spending list wrapped up with outdoor gear like bird feeders, a weather station rain gauge, climbing carabiners, a bike tool kit, Helly Hansen vests, a Fortnum & Mason musical advent calendar, luxury birthday cards and £18 worth of giant Chocolossus biscuits.

Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has completely distanced herself from her ex-husband’s secret shopping sprees.

She has strongly maintained that she had “no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that personal items had been purchased using SNP funds.”

In a statement released by her lawyer Aamer Anwar, the former SNP leader made it clear that she and Murrell kept their finances entirely separate and she had no window into his bank records.

She said: “In relation to many of the items in question, for example expensive watches and games consoles, I was not aware of them having been purchased at all.”

Pointing out that the couple were “both earning high salaries,” Ms Sturgeon added: “In respect of any items I was aware of Peter having purchased, I had no reason to doubt that he had used his own money.”

She also reminded the public that she was “cleared of any wrongdoing after a lengthy and thorough investigation” by detectives at Police Scotland.

Full list

• Celestron 10169 NexStar 8SE computerised Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (£1,199). He also bought a number of accessories for the device on the same day.
• The Killing seasons 1-3 on DVD (£60). The list also includes purchases of DVDs of Borgen, The Government and Sherlock Holmes.
• Grand Theft Auto V for Playstation 4 (£42.99). Other gaming-related purchases on the list include Fifa 2014, Battlefield 4, and a Playstation 3 console.
• Three Wusthof manicure sets (£293.70).
• Joseph Joseph bread bin (£60).
• Netatmo rain gauge for a Netatmo weather station plus mounts for rain and wind gauges (£78.99).
• The Beatles special edition fountain pen and rollerball (£1,475).
• 1:30 scale model helicopter from Let’s Shop Airbus of Airbus Operations Limited (£550.59).
• Two pairs of Fit Nation Socks (£11.95).
• Victorinox bike tool kit (£22.41).
• Two Freskaro carabiner clips and a 2win2buy rock climbing carabiner outdoor sports tool (£40.49).
• Oxo Good Grips egg poacher set (£23.98).
• Copy of the board game Monopoly, made by Hasbro (£19.79).
• Copy of the book Women Hold Up Half the Sky: Selected Speeches of Nicola Sturgeon (£22.04).
• Two Fisher bullet space pens in gift boxes and two Fischer Eclipse American technology space pens (£89.25).
• Two pairs of Gold Leaf gents dry touch gloves and six bottles of Avon Skin So Soft body spray (£58.73).
• Luxury handmade 90th birthday card (£5.85).
• Jura Giga 5 Cromo coffee machine (£3,231.90).
• Two Smedbo Sideline design soap baskets (£116).
• Oak library ladder (£943).
• Jamie Oliver Acacia wooden spoon set (£14.88).
• Four Simple Human kitchen cupboard cabinet organisers (£196.08).
• Two Helly Hansen men’s vests (£140.49).
• Le Creuset wine bottle cooler sleeve, foil remover, and champagne and sparkling wine bottle opener (£57).
• Three Take the Slow Road books, covering Scotland, Wales, England and Ireland (£42.45).
• 2017 United Kingdom silver proof coin set from the Royal Mint (£625).
• 600g pack of Chocolossus biscuits (£17.95).
• Two Ideal Standard toilet seats (£68.82).
• Fortnum and Mason musical advent calendar (£150).
• Two Addis washing-up bowls (£10.98).
• Folio Society edition of Walter Scott’s novel Rob Roy (£307.50).
• Two Feuilles pepper and salt grinders (£2,618.16). – George Foreman Flexe 26250 electric grill (£49.99).
• Three Jacobi Jane bird feeders (£154.97).
• Eight umbrellas (£1,990.50).

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