Luxury cookware purchases alerted police to Peter Murrell’s long-running embezzlement of Scottish National Party funds, with the former chief executive’s spending on Le Creuset items proving a key red flag in the investigation.
Murrell bought a set of measuring spoons costing £43, a set of mugs worth £204, and an £85 tea kettle from the French cookware brand using party money. An £85 tea kettle from Le Creuset was later found in the motorhome that Murrell purchased and left at his mother’s house. In total, he spent £442.20 on Le Creuset mugs alone, according to evidence reviewed by prosecutors. The purchases stood out to detectives as one of the first retailers where Murrell had been spending the embezzled money, leading to further discoveries about the scale of his offending.
The police investigation, code-named Operation Branchform, was launched in July 2021 following seven complaints about the SNP’s finances. Those complaints primarily concerned allegations that funds raised for a second Scottish independence referendum campaign — amounting to £666,953 — had been improperly spent on other activities. While the inquiry initially focused on the referendum fund, detectives began looking at potential embezzlement by Murrell in early 2023. As they examined the SNP’s books, they noticed unusual purchases during periods when the party’s finances were low. It is understood the Le Creuset buys were among the first signs that Murrell was systematically siphoning money.
Others in the SNP also alerted police to some of the items bought by Murrell. Murray Foote, who replaced Murrell as chief executive in August 2023, approached the police investigation with items he wished to make them aware of. Foote, a former editor of the Daily Record, had previously resigned as head of communications for the SNP in March 2023 over a controversy about party membership figures. He later announced he would step down as chief executive in October 2024, citing his inability to commit to the party’s preparations for the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections.
Operation Branchform lasted nearly four years and cost approximately £2.7 million. Police Scotland concluded their investigations in March 2025. Murrell was first arrested on April 5, 2023, then re-arrested and formally charged with embezzlement on April 18, 2024. Two other figures were also arrested but released without charge: Colin Beattie, the SNP treasurer, was interviewed on April 18, 2023; and Nicola Sturgeon, the former First Minister and SNP leader — and Murrell’s wife — was questioned in June 2023. Murrell and Sturgeon separated in January 2025 and disclosed their divorce last year.
Last month, Murrell admitted to embezzling £400,310.65 from the SNP between August 2010 and October 2022. The initial indictment had included eight charges of embezzling a total of £459,000 from 2010 to 2023. His offending began on August 12, 2010, months after his marriage to Sturgeon, with the purchase of two laundry baskets totalling £70.89. The embezzlement increased in frequency and amount over time, continuing even after knowledge of the police investigation became public.
Prosecutors from the Crown Office and the police said they reviewed “extensive” evidence. The Crown Office stated: “Prosecutors considered 516 witness statements and a large volume of documentary and digital material, including data sources containing tens of thousands of files spanning an extended period.” The standard prosecution report contained a single charge of embezzlement, but within that charge there were hundreds of potentially criminal purchases. For each purchase, prosecutors required evidence that SNP funds had been used, documentation showing what had been bought, the retailer involved, and accounting material capable of showing how the purchase had been recorded within SNP finances. “Further work was also required to establish the earliest criminal transactions and the full value of the embezzlement,” the Crown Office said. “That led prosecutors back beyond the original date range in the police report and ultimately to offending beginning in August 2010.”
The full extent of the embezzlement
Court papers revealed a lengthy list of items Murrell bought with the embezzled money, covering luxury goods, vehicles, technology and everyday essentials. His method of embezzlement involved abusing his position to divert cash from the party’s main bank account, which held membership fees, donations and legacies. He made direct transfers, used multiple party “charge cards”, and submitted false invoices and expense claims, often giving purchases misleading descriptions in the SNP’s accounting system. A robotic lawnmower was described as “legal fees” and a wine coaster as “leadership expenses”. Fake invoices were created for the motorhome.
Among the purchases were: a space telescope; DVDs including “The Killing” and “Borgen”; a home library ladder worth more than £900; a Miele CM6300 coffee machine costing £1,299 and a Jura Giga 5 Cromo coffee machine costing £3,232; a Husqvarna robotic lawnmower costing £3,070; Kindles; six Nintendo consoles; £19,000 worth of pens; a silver wine coaster worth £3,500; Lalique crystal salt and pepper grinders; and three Fortnum & Mason advent calendars. Despite the luxury items, Murrell also bought everyday goods such as 2kg of Nescafé Gold Blend for £81.16 in 2018, curry sauce and glue.
Vehicles featured prominently in the spending. A £124,550 Niesmann+Bischoff motorhome was purchased and left at his mother’s house. A Jaguar iPace costing £81,000 was part-funded with £57,500 of SNP money, and a Volkswagen Golf costing £32,989 was part-funded with £16,489 of SNP money. The motorhome was found at his mother’s house and fake invoices were created for its purchase.
In June 2021, Murrell provided a personal loan of £107,620 to the SNP to help with a “cash flow” issue. Approximately half of this loan was repaid by October 2021. The loan was made public in December 2022. The investigation and revelations of embezzlement caused significant damage to the SNP. Reportable donations dropped from £695,351 to £368,538 between August 2023, and the party reported a deficit of £800,000. Membership fell from 104,000 in 2021 to 72,000 in March 2023, recovered slightly to 74,889 in 2023, then fell again to 64,525 in 2024. The scandal is widely believed to have contributed to Sturgeon’s resignation as SNP leader and First Minister. Douglas Chapman resigned as SNP treasurer, and Joanna Cherry resigned from the SNP National Executive Committee, both citing concerns over transparency. The SNP’s auditors, Johnston Carmichael, resigned in October 2022.
Murrell was sentenced on June 23, 2026, receiving a prison term of five years and three months. The judge described the crimes as a “significant breach of trust” to the SNP, its members and donors. Murrell’s lawyer indicated that the value of restrained assets — including pension accounts and his share of the family home with Sturgeon — suggests repayment of the embezzled sum will be possible.
