Sturgeon 'learned of items bought by husband with SNP money in the papers'

Nicola Sturgeon says she learned about some of the items her husband illegally bought with SNP money in the papers this week.

Speaking at a book festival in Wales on Friday, she repeated this has been the worst week of her life.

It comes as her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, admitted he embezzled £400,000 from the SNP while he was the party’s chief executive, and his wife was party leader.

Politics

Nicola Sturgeon: ‘This has been worst week of my life’

The former first minister of Scotland said the revelations of her husband’s crimes showed she ‘didn’t know him at all’

Murrell bought £12,000 worth of Apple products, spent more than £17,000 on Montblanc pens, bought Lalique Feuilles salt and pepper grinders worth £2,618, and spent £3,000 on a luxury bone china tea set.

He also bought an £80,000 Jaguar and a £124,000 motorhome.

The former first minister of Scotland said she was not aware of many of the items being purchased by Murrell with funds embezzled from the SNP and said she learned about the items Murrell had purchased in newspaper reports on Monday.

Insight Vanessa Taaffe STV News

Nicola Sturgeon appears to be dodging and avoiding legitimate questions from journalists about the extent of what she knew regarding these crimes against the SNP.

She strongly denies any knowledge and she has been cleared by the police after an extensive investigation. But the admission of guilt by her ex-husband Peter Murrell that he stole from the party has thrown her involvement back into the spotlight.

Today she’s in Wales, promoting her memoir. She told the audience that she’s in the ‘foothills’ of processing the betrayal by her former husband.

She went on to say both she and Peter Murrell were on high salaries, and they could afford some of the items he used SNP funds to buy.

She also firmly denied that she shut down attempts at scrutiny over the party’s accounts.

What impact could this have on Nicola Sturgeon’s reputation?

To all extents and purposes, Nicola Sturgeon is saying she is a victim, the betrayed wife, let down by her partner.

She is widely regarded as a competent communicator, someone who has always been across her brief.

Undoubtedly, this is a tough thing to come to terms with, but it’s made more complicated by the fact that she was leader of the very party this money was stolen from – and the person who took it was her husband.