‘Gutted’ Swinney apologises to SNP members but ‘never suspected’ Murrell’s crime

John Swinney has apologised to SNP members after former chief executive Peter Murrell admitted embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds from the party.

Swinney, who was last week formally re-elected as Scotland’s First Minister, said the “level of personal horror” he felt over Murrell’s crimes was “difficult for me to properly convey”.

Describing it as being a “tough day” for the party, Swinney said bluntly: “I am gutted by this today.”

His comments came as he said “sorry to the people who are affected” by Murrell’s crimes, saying that the money had been “stolen” from the party.

“It is the conduct of Peter Murrell that has got us into that position,” the First Minister stressed, making clear the former chief executive was “exclusively responsible” for what had happened.

Swinney said he “never suspected” Murrell had been embezzling the cash, adding the party had been “badly, badly let down”.

Speaking at a press conference in Edinburgh just hours after the estranged husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,310.65, the First Minister said his thoughts were with his party’s members.

He told journalists: “What I am thinking about, I’ve not been able to stop thinking about, is the decent people who have stood with me at coffee mornings and jumble sales, raising the money, paying their money to party headquarters.

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Ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell admits embezzling €463,500 in party funds

“People who I know don’t have much money to rub together, but have paid their membership subs to keep the SNP afloat because they believe in independence.”

The First Minister said he felt “absolutely the same agony” those members of the party would be feeling.

He said: “I am one of those donors to the party, and that money has been used inappropriately, so I regret that.”