Former MSP urges new SNP politicians to end party's 'culture of secrecy'

By HANNAH RODGER, SCOTTISH CHIEF REPORTER Published: 18:57, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 19:06, 30 May 2026 A former Nationalist MSP has urged newly elected SNP parliamentarians to demand the party clean up its act and end its culture of secrecy in the wake of Peter Murrell’s conviction. Former MP and MSP Michelle Thomson said the SNP had to end its ‘culture of silence’ to re-establish trust, not just with the public but within its own ranks. Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Ms Thomson, who stood down at the last election, said she was not confident John Swinney would change the party’s culture without being forced to do so. ‘The idea that the party, John Swinney, want to say “Right, it’s all done, nothing to see here” is preposterous,’ she said. ‘I think it has to be probed. What was it about the set of circumstances that allowed that criminality to take place? For me that is an issue of culture.’ Ms Thomson, who joined the SNP at the age of 16 and has known Mr Swinney since she was a teenager, said the problem her party has had for some time is its reluctance to answer questions from its own members. ‘We know in management terms that people’s greatest strength inevitably becomes their greatest weakness and I think that’s where the SNP is at,’ she said. ‘This fastidious and, in the beginning, noble adherence to a cause that is bigger than them, meant that on some occasions, there has been this “Wheesht for Indy” approach above all else. ‘That’s how people were encouraged to behave and believed we should behave. That’s what I saw in the SNP group.' Former MSP Michelle Thomson has urged new MSPs to challenge the party's culture Former SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell leaving court in a prison van last week She added: 'The question for me now is how can the current SNP MSPs live with their conscience knowing what has been proven, beyond all reasonable doubt? How can they live with that? And therefore, knowing that, what actions are they taking to address the culture that enabled that? ‘We cannot have this attitude of secrecy and shutting down discussion. ‘I would like to know how the new and existing MSPs are squaring off their morality when it comes to this. ‘They need to be able to look themselves in the mirror and say “I did the best I could”, and that’s not going to happen by staying quiet and not speaking up.’ Ms Thomson’s remarks come after several former members of the SNP’s ruling body said they and others had been shut down when trying to raise concerns or ask questions about the party’s finances previously. Nicola Sturgeon and her allies, including MSP Kirsten Oswald, are claimed to have thwarted attempts by members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to get more information about the finances between 2019 and 2021. Former MP Joanna Cherry, who quit the NEC in 2021 over transparency concerns, said Ms Sturgeon showed a ‘remarkable lack of curiosity’ about the party’s financial state. ‘There was very little transparency and those of us who asked questions were treated as traitors to the party,’ she said. Roger Mullin, former Nationalist MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, said he also tried to ask questions at NEC meetings chaired by Ms Oswald. ‘They obviously didn’t want anything discussed. There was all sorts of manoeuvring at the time to prevent any questioning at all,’ he said. Ms Sturgeon and Ms Oswald have both denied shutting down discussions. A leaked video of Ms Sturgeon from March 2021 shows her addressing an NEC meeting, telling members: ‘The party has never been in a stronger financial position than it is right now. ‘Just be very careful about suggestions that there are problems with the party’s finances because we depend on donors to donate. ‘There are no reasons for people to be concerned about the party’s finances and all of us need to be careful about not suggesting that there is.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.