Dame Jackie Baillie, the deputy leader of Scottish Labour, has described a Scottish Green amendment to a call for an inquiry into Peter Murrell's embezzlement of £400,000 from the SNP as a “smokescreen.” The vote took place at Holyrood on Wednesday evening, where a Labour call for an inquiry to “restore public trust in Scottish politics” was rejected.
Labour's Call Rejected
MSPs instead favoured the Greens’ suggestion of a wider independent review into party political finances. The Green amendment, which removed Labour’s call for a Holyrood inquiry, was passed. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme, Baillie said the SNP are “sweeping things under the carpet.”
“The Greens amendment that they moved is literally a smokescreen and a place, if you like, that affords cover for the SNP,” she said. “This is about, as far as the government and the SNP are concerned, sweeping things under the carpet, nothing to see here, we have just to trust them.”
Impact on Public Trust
Baillie emphasised the severity of the scandal, stating, “The reality is, this is probably one of the biggest scandals that I have witnessed in Scotland in the Scottish Parliament, and it doesn’t just impact on the SNP, it impacts on all our politicians, because the lack of trust that the public have is further undermined, so we do need a parliamentary inquiry.”
She argued that the inquiry should be cross-party, noting that some questions are unrelated to the internal workings of the SNP. “The internal workings of the SNP should be considered by them and should be considered by the Electoral Commission, but the reality is there are questions in relation to the length and cost of the police investigation,” she added.
Scottish Labour's Participation
Asked whether Scottish Labour would take part in the inquiry that was voted through Holyrood, Baillie confirmed, “If an inquiry is set up, we will, of course, take part.” Meanwhile, MPs on the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster could still launch their own investigation. The committee has indicated that Holyrood is the “most appropriate place for an inquiry,” but MPs are waiting to see if there is any change at the Scottish Parliament before deciding on further action.
SNP Response
Public Service Reform Secretary Ivan McKee also addressed the vote on BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme. When asked why the SNP resisted Labour’s call for an inquiry, he said, “The SNP are the victims here, it’s important to recognise that, and the motion that was passed yesterday which we supported, brought forward by the Greens, was for an inquiry into all political parties.”
McKee stated that issues regarding how the SNP handled whistleblowing, complaints, and party finances are matters for the party itself, noting that the SNP has “completely changed the governance.” He added, “What we are focused on is making sure that the governance we’ve got in place now delivers what it needs to, which it is doing, and taking part in the inquiry that Parliament voted for yesterday, into all political parties, which I think is a correct way to approach this.”
Green Perspective
Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie defended the amendment, saying, “What the Scottish Greens proposed is the bare minimum that any democrat should support, rather than the childish and self-serving nonsense that was offered by a Labour Party that has just achieved the worst election result in its history.”
He added, “The SNP’s failings are clear, and it’s right that any further investigations into the Peter Murrell saga are led by Police Scotland or the Electoral Commission rather than MSPs treating it as a political circus.” Harvie emphasised that Parliament has voted for an independent process and hopes the Labour Party will co-operate rather than obstruct it.
“People across Scotland are sick of the wealthiest people having the loudest voice. All parties have a role if we are to restore trust,” he concluded.
