Nicola Sturgeon splits from husband Peter Murrell amid police investigation

Former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has announced that she has split from her husband.

The former SNP leader announced on social media at 11am on Monday that her 15-year marriage to Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party, was ending.

“With a heavy heart I am confirming that Peter and I have decided to end our marriage,” Sturgeon said.

“To all intents and purposes we have been separated for some time now and feel it is time to bring others up to speed with where we are. It goes without saying that we still care deeply for each other, and always will. We will be making no further comment.”

Nicola Sturgeon announces she is divorcing her husband Peter Murrell Instagram

It comes after Murrell, who married the former first minister in 2010, was charged in connection with embezzlement of SNP funds last year.

Sturgeon and former treasurer Colin Beatie were also arrested but were released without charge, pending further investigation.

Operation Branchform has been ongoing since 2021 and is investigating what happened to around £600,000 raised by the party for independence campaigning.

The couple’s home in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, was searched by police and forensics officers.

In December, Sturgeon said she knows “nothing more” about the police investigation into SNP finances than she did when arrested.

Sturgeon and Murrell split has been rumour and gossip for some time

Insight Colin Mackay Political Editor

The couple have been together for 20 years, they were married in 2010. Nicola Sturgeon was deputy first minister at the time, Peter Murrell was SNP chief executive – they were very much seen as the power couple of Scottish politics but today neither of them are in power and they are no longer a couple.

But they are still friends, still living in the same house, but they have effectively been separated for some time according to a statement from Nicola Sturgeon today. She said she was bringing people up to speed.

Peter Murrell is facing charges of embezzlement as part of the police investigation Operation Branchform. Nicola Sturgeon was arrested, released without charge and says she has done nothing wrong.

The whole thing has been hanging over them for years now.

It can’t have been easy maintaining a marriage through that, although that private side of it is really none of my business, and interestingly none of the other political parties have commented on this today.

But this split has been part of rumour and gossip around Scottish politics for some time – it’s public now and someone close to the former First Minister said to me that is about Nicola Sturgeon taking control of her own story.