Westminster committee to probe SNP Murrell scandal

A political battle is intensifying over whether a Westminster committee should investigate the financial scandal surrounding former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, as efforts to launch a probe in the Scottish Parliament appear to have failed. The debate centers on the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee, which is expected to discuss launching an inquiry when it meets on Tuesday, June 9.

The controversy follows Peter Murrell's guilty plea last month to embezzling more than £400,000 from the Scottish National Party over a 12-year period. Murrell, who is the estranged husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, is awaiting sentencing.

Calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the governance failures that allowed the long-running embezzlement have grown, particularly due to concerns that public money may have been involved. The SNP receives "short money" from the UK Parliament for opposition activities, and the party is now in discussions with tax authorities over whether improper VAT claims were made on illicit purchases by Murrell.

Scottish Labour has been pushing for a Holyrood inquiry and will force a vote on a motion to establish one on Wednesday, June 10. However,...