The leader of the scandal-hit SNP was mocked today over his 'cunning plan' for Scottish independence after Westminster dismissed the party's latest referendum bid.
John Swinney, the Scottish First Minister, this week saw MSPs back an SNP motion demanding the UK Government hand over powers to enable a fresh independence vote. But Downing Street immediately rejected the motion passed by the Scottish Parliament, with a spokesman saying: 'The UK Government does not support independence or another referendum.'
On Thursday, Reform UK's Scottish leader Malcolm Offord pressed Mr Swinney on what he proposes to do now. Raising the issue at First Minister's Questions in Holyrood, Lord Offord said: 'During the election the First Minister said if a Section 30 notice was rejected he had a cunning plan to get a referendum. The debate was on Tuesday, it was rejected on Wednesday, this is Thursday. Is this now the time for the First Minister to reveal his cunning plan? Or has Peter Murrell stolen that as well?'
That remark was a reference to the former SNP chief executive, the estranged husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party over 12 years. Mr Swinney ignored the comment as he said Lord Offord's question 'gets to the heart of our democratic politics'.
The SNP leader said: 'I am not going to just kowtow to 10 Downing Street. The people of Scotland have decided that this Parliament has got an independence majority, and I am going to use that independence majority to deliver independence for our country.' Following the Scottish Parliament elections earlier this month, 73 of the 129 MSPs now back leaving the UK.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also raised the SNP's embezzlement scandal at First Minister's Questions. He alleged that Mr Swinney – who appointed Murrell in his first stint as SNP leader – had 'helped build' a culture in the party that enabled the crime. Mr Swinney dismissed that as 'victim blaming', adding that Mr Sarwar should be 'ashamed of himself'.
But the Scottish Labour leader insisted a parliamentary inquiry was now needed because 'secrecy and cover-up go far beyond one individual or one case'. Mr Sarwar said: 'At its heart is an SNP culture where secrecy became normal, dissent dangerous and people learned that speaking out carried a heavy price. All while those at the top of the SNP machine operated without scrutiny.'
He added that a parliamentary inquiry would not consider criminal behaviour, but would instead 'look at the culture, the process of decision-making and lessons for the future'. The Scottish Labour leader insisted it would 'answer the many questions that the public have'.
But Mr Swinney told him he did not support a parliamentary inquiry, telling MSPs: 'We have just had a police investigation which has gone on for five years and that police investigation has identified criminality as the source of this particular issue, and that is now being remedied. So, I don't think there is anything a parliamentary inquiry can add to a five-year forensic police investigation that has resulted in the successful prosecution of an individual and his guilty plea.'
The SNP leader added: 'What I would rather do is concentrate on the priorities of the people of Scotland, as I always do.' However, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay accused the First Minister of 'trying to shut down scrutiny' on the issues surrounding Murrell and the SNP. The Tory condemned the 'usual desperate deflection from John Swinney', telling MSPs: 'He's trying to shut down scrutiny and we won't stand for it.'
