Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will end her marriage to former Scottish National Party chief executive Peter Murrell.
The former first minister of Scotland said it was with a “heavy heart” that the pair, who have been married since 2010, had decided to split.
She said they have been “to all intents and purposes we have been separated for some time now” and now wanted to inform the public about where they were with their marriage. It comes after the former power couple of the SNP were both embroiled in a scandal over SNP finances.
In a post on Instagram, Ms Sturgeon said: “With a heavy heart I am confirming that Peter and I have decided to end our marriage. 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 breaks silence after husband charged over alleged embezzlement
Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell tied the knot in 2010
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Last year Mr Murrell was charged in connection with embezzlement of SNP funds following a police investigation into the party’s finances. Ms Sturgeon was arrested and questioned in 2023 but was released without charges. She has however remained under investigation.
In December Ms Sturgeon told the BBC she knows “nothing more” about the police investigation into SNP finances. The Scottish politician, who stood down as first minister early 2023, said she wished the inquiry “wasn’t there” but that she had no “control” over it. Speaking after being released by police in June 2023, Ms Sturgeon insisted “beyond doubt” she was “innocent of any wrongdoing”.
Former First Minster of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon signed her official resignation letter to King Charles in March 2023
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A police investigation, known as Operation Branchform, has spent more than two years looking into £660,000 of donations given to the SNP by independence activists – and how they were spent. As part of the probe, a luxury campervan was infamously seized by police from outside Mr Murrell’s mum’s home.
It is understood the £110,000 campervan was earmarked for the SNP Holyrood election campaign in 2021 but was never deployed after Covid restrictions were lifted. But instead it sat outside the former chief executive’s mum’s house for two years, it is claimed.
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In September last year, in the latest development, detectives involved in the investigation asked prosecutors for advice on the next steps of their probs. The update was said to be about Ms Sturgeon and ex-SNP treasurer Colin Beattie ,who was also arrested and released without charge in 2023.
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