Operation Branchform, SNP staff, present and former to be re-interviewed by Police Scotland investigating SNP Party finances, this development in the slow moving case is said to be directed by the Crown Office, Scotland’s prosecution service, is this another false dawn for action, or is the storm about to erupt?

When former Nicola Sturgeon was cornered like a rat by the Holyrood press pack, you could see in her demeanor that she extremely uncomfortable by the line of questioning regarding matters relating to OperationBranchform. Branchform started out as a police investigation into the whereabouts of £600k of a supposed ‘ringfenced’ campaign fund. This Fund was specifically to be used in the event of indyref 2. So, in order to spend that money on the campaign, an officially sanctioned campaign via a Section 30 order from Westminister is what a reasonable person would expect for the SNP to access and spend those funds. When the SNP accounts were looked at by third parties, they flagged up the cash actually held by the SNP was well below £100k. People were then ‘fed a line’ that the money was woven through the accounts, which some people disputed. There were other people who had donated, who decided they had to inquire at SNP HQ as where their donations where. They were told not to worry this cash is ‘ringfenced’, and everything was above board. As SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon told people directly in a zoom meeting that the party SNP finances had “never been stronger” and that people should be very careful about suggesting there was “any problems” with the accounts. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXFGjl1qr1U    

The bottom line is simple, either the cash is there or the cash is not there.  

The Police inquiry began in July 2021, and led to the arrest of Nicola Sturgeon, the former first minister, her husband, Peter Murrell and Colin Beattie, the SNP Treasurer. What is very interesting is that those people tasked as part of SNP national executive committee with responsibility for scrutinising the party's finances started resigning prior to the Police crashing through the door. SNP MP Douglas Chapman stood down from his role as party treasurer citing a lack of "support or financial information". Most people would think that as treasurer, Chapman would be entitled to know what monies have came in, and what monies have gone on, and crucially that they were spent legally. If you think back to the Natalie McGarry  criminal case of fraud, McGarry while in charge of party funds in Glasgow used that money for personal gain and benefit, a criminal trial would see her convicted. Therefore the same rules regarding correct spending of cash going out would be essential for Chapman to do his job properly. According to Chapman, he wasn’t allowed to do his job properly as treasurer because as he put it, SNP HQ weren’t providing the necessary "support or financial information". As treasurer, he decided that this wasn’t a situation which he would allow himself to be put in. Then the resignation of SNP MP Joanna Cherry from the party's national executive committee, as she stepped away, her position was there were "a number of factors" had prevented her fulfilling her mandate "to improve transparency and scrutiny", and "uphold the party's constitution". Although an MP, Cherry who is seen as a Salmond supporter is also a KC, King’s Counsel, a high rank lawyer, patently she didn’t like the new emerging landscape of secrecy.  

The effect of Operation Branchform on SNP polling has been dramatic; trust has been broken between the SNP and the Yes Movement. As the party sinks lower helmed by Sturgeon’s proxy Humza Yousaf there is a feeling that the investigation into SNP finances has been taking too long. The reason for delay is that the Police need to tread carefully, and that the original investigation has mushroomed into other areas regarding the SNP. The SNP pitch to gain public office was based on their claim of they would ensure openness; establish trust and being ethical, the hallmarks of public service. Many people feel those claims of being ‘white knights’ were a lie, a deception on a public desperate to break away from a stagnant political landscape in Scotland. The public want answers, so far, they have been kept waiting for what seems an impossibly long time. The immediate questions from the public which come to mind, is there going to be a trial? When will it happen? Who will be charged and with what crimes? As I stated above, the bottom line is simple, either the cash is there, or the cash is not there.  

In a new development, the pieces of this chess game seem to be moving around the board a bit quicker, Detectives investigating the SNP’s finances have requested to re-interview staff working at SNP HQ. It is said that this action is being directed by the Crown Office, Scotland’s prosecution service. We have already seen people arrested, we have seen Sturgeon’s Glasgow home searched with a big blue tent erected on the front lawn.We witnessed enough police pile into the party’s headquarters in Edinburgh which reminded some of the monty python sketch of the Romans searching a home. The finding of a luxury campervan which cost about £100k plus was also seized from Murrell’s mother’s driveway in Dunfermline, Fife, it now has a new home in a police impound yard down in Govan. A party source has made the claim the vehicle was purchased to aid campaigning during Covid but was never used. One of the eye openers was when Police decided 'check £95K car bought by Peter Murrell'. An electric I-Pace SUV was bought from a dealership in Edinburgh around 2019 but has since been replaced by a rather modest black electric 208 Peugeot. In motoring terms from Jag to 208 is quite a drop.  

On twitter, I occasionally ask the question is Peter Murrell still alive or is the Crown Office hoping he is dead. The reason I ask is that staunch defender of nationalism Peter Murrell has all but disappeared from public view. Gone, like he never existed, it is also said that even within Sturgeon’s inner circle it is unclear about his whereabouts. One would assume he is still camped out in his Glasgow home, but no one knows or how he has occupied his time in the ten months since his arrest. Peter Murrell is like the man who never existed, and his wife Nicola Sturgeon is like a part time MSP. A senior source said: 

“Nobody talks about him, nobody has seen him, nobody knows where he is.” 

Another high up in the party source said parliamentarians and staff members have stopped asking about their former boss. Humza Yousaf, seen as Sturgeon’s proxy, gave Peter Murrell a glowing recommendation describing him as a “proven winner” while Murrell was CEO, whether he still feels the same way is anyone’s guess. Colin Beattie, the SNP MSP and former party treasurer, who was arrested two weeks after Murrell, is still visible in the Scottish parliament. Nicola Sturgeon is also visible although classed by others as a part timer, full time wages for part-time effort. 

There is no doubt that Operation Branchform is like a death kneel to the SNP’s fortunes, it has undermined trust and damaging their electoral prospects. And having a Sturgeon proxy in place as First Minister who is inept will continue to harm the Nationalists’ prospects as a general election approaches. As 2024 is a General election year, the question is how much damage will be done to the number of seats currently held by the SNP, even in supposed heartlands. New in-depth polling research released at the weekend, which showed the SNP is losing support, primarily among middle-class voters who the SNP have overtaxed. This is a direct result of their bad stewardship of Scotland’s finances. 27 polls conducted since Sturgeon dramatically quit a year ago, said there was a direct correlation between the arrests of Sturgeon, Murrell and Beattie and the dip in support for the SNP. There is a feeling that Humza Yousaf’s role is all about keeping the First Minister seat warm for a Sturgeon return. The question is for Humza Yousaf is how do you get rid of a problem like Sturgeon, it is likely she will top the list system in Glasgow, so even if she loses her seat in Glasgow Southside, she gets a second lifeline. For those who don’t know the SNP well, Humza Yousaf isn’t popular, he is seen as a caretaker, and with Kate Forbes seen as the natural leader in waiting, how does a damaged good Nicola Sturgeon present herself a virginal white alternative to Yousaf in a post Operation Branchform world? A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: 

“Senior professional prosecutors from COPFS and an advocate depute are working with police on this ongoing investigation. It is standard practice that any case regarding politicians is dealt with by prosecutors without the involvement of the law officers. All Scotland’s prosecutors act independently of political interference. As is routine, to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations, we do not comment in detail on their conduct.” 

As the SNP employees gear up to face the police once again, you wonder if they kept notes about what they previously said to the police. Three people arrested so far, staff will be keen not to join that group.  An SNP spokesman said: 

“As we’ve said previously, the SNP has been co-operating with the inquiry and will continue to do so; however, it is not appropriate to comment further on a live investigation.” 

In the past SNP employees made claims about the indyref2 campaign funds, the fact the police are still beating the brush shows that something doesn’t appear as it should. Years ago, I blogged that a clear out of SNP HQ was needed while a member; I was told that Murrell and Liz Lloyd appeared to wield the power in the party HQ. Lloyd is now gone, Sturgeon is no longer leader, and Peter Murrell has disappeared. The last time Murrell reposted on his twitter account was 12:36 PM · Feb 14, 2023, then he was gone from twitter. 5 April 2023, police arrested him, and refused to tell the press which station he was taken too. This led the press to stake out Govan Police Station along with other stations in Glasgow area. Murrell, Sturgeon and Beattie are innocent until proven guilty as anyone is, but one wonders what is sitting in the police files but also the evidence lockers of Police Scotland? Many items were taken away in an evidence van. What were the items and how were those items bought? Is this re-interviewing by Police Scotland, another false dawn or is the storm about to hit? Well we will just have to wait a little bit longer, you can feel the tension.  It was announced in early April, after Murrell's arrest, that accountants Johnston Carmichael who had done the SNP for some years had resigned from auditing the SNP’s finances. What was the problem that they didn’t like? Murray Foote, previously SNP media chief, now CEO replacing Murrell openly denounced the conduct of the Police Scotland investigation, saying that the possibility that Branchform is a "wild goose chase". This begs the question, has he found the ring fenced £600k? If not, then it would appear to be not a "wild goose chase" regarding the indyref 2 fund, more like someone’s goose is cooked.