Nicola Sturgeon accused of lying over Peter Murrell: MP's astonishing claims on SNP scandal... and Alex Salmond 'stich-up'

By MICHAEL BLACKLEY, SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 20:14, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 20:14, 16 July 2026 Nicola Sturgeon lied about the Peter Murrell scandal and stitched up Alex Salmond to hide the truth, a Tory MP has claimed. David Davis, who was a close friend of Mr Salmond, launched an explosive intervention in the House of Commons where he made a series of claims that Ms Sturgeon knew of the crimes being carried out by her estranged husband, the former SNP chief executive, and called for a full judicial inquiry into the matter. The former First Minister accused the MP of spreading lies and conspiracy theories about her. Mr Davis claimed Murrell’s sentencing ‘exposed the real reasons behind the Scottish Government’s persecution of Alex Salmond’. On the last sitting day before the Commons broke up for the summer recess, he highlighted luxury items Murrell embezzled from the SNP, including a Volkswagen Golf, a Jaguar, handbags, coffee machines, kitchenware, ‘two £350 Dyson hairdryers for a man with no hair’ and a motorhome. Mr Davis said: ‘Did Sturgeon not wonder where he got the money for all those vehicles, the kitchenware, the handbags, the pens, the pendants he loved? After all, who used the Dyson hairdryers in that household? ‘My view on her denials is clear: she is lying. She knew full well what her husband was doing and how those luxury purchases were funded.’ He claimed Murrell ‘stole from Alex Salmond in the 1980s’ and that the former First Minister told Ms Sturgeon it was wrong to keep him on as SNP chief executive. David Davis claimed that Nicola Sturgeon knew of the crimes being carried out by her estranged husband Peter Murrell Referring to her stamping out questions within the SNP about the party’s finances, Mr Davis said: ‘Sturgeon was part of a cover-up, using her position to suppress justice. She behaved dishonourably and dishonestly. ‘But her most evil act was stitching up Alex Salmond to hide the truth.’ Mr Davis highlighted Mr Salmond’s view that there was a ‘malicious and concerted attempt to remove him from public life in Scotland by a range of individuals within the Scottish Government’. He said a new procedure for dealing with sexual harassment allegations ‘deliberately targeted Salmond’ and was then ruled unlawful and tainted by apparent bias in the Court of Session, and Mr Salmond was then acquitted when prosecutions were brought against him. Mr Davis said: ‘It now appears that these actions, to destroy a man’s reputation and life, were motivated by a desire to hide their own crimes.’ He claimed that Murrell protected Ms Sturgeon by ensuring items which incriminated her were removed from the indictment, while prosecutors working for the Lord Advocate stopped further police questions to Ms Sturgeon. He added: ‘There is a clear pattern of secrecy, obstruction and power used to protect power, a pattern started by Sturgeon. Mr Davis accused Murrell of protecting Ms Sturgeon by ensuring items which incriminated her were removed from the indictment ‘Scotland needs a fresh start. That starts with a judicial inquiry into this entire sordid scandal, because it is a scandal that cost Alex Salmond his life.’ Mr Davis made the comments using the protection of parliamentary privilege, which allows MPs to do their duties without outside interference and protects them from being sued for defamation. UK Tory leader Kemi Badenoch urged Ms Sturgeon to ‘come clean’ and publish the 26 page written statement she gave the police investigating Murrell in 2023. She said: ‘I think there should be an inquiry into what went on. Extremely dodgy of the SNP to vote against this inquiry. I don’t think Nicola Sturgeon wants to answer questions. ‘She should come clean. She owes it to the Scottish people. I think she owes it to her party as well.’ ‘It [an inquiry] should happen at Holyrood, but if they don’t do it, it should happen at Westminster.’ After Murrell’s guilty plea, it emerged Ms Sturgeon exercised her right to give a ‘no comment’ interview to detectives investigating the SNPs finances when she was arrested in 2023. A few weeks later she submitted a written statement to officers from Operation Branchform. The Tory MP claimed Murrell’s sentencing ‘exposed the real reasons behind the Scottish Government’s persecution of Alex Salmond’ In May, she indicated to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that she would publish it if legally possible, adding: ‘I can’t think of anything in it that I wouldn’t want Published: 20:14, 16 July 2026 .’ But this week her lawyer Aamer Anwar said she planned to keep it a secret. In a statement about the claims of Mr Davis, released through Mr Anwar, Ms Sturgeon said: ‘This member of the “Old Boys Club” has been spreading conspiracy theories on behalf of the late Alex Salmond since 2021 - and now he is telling more lies about me. ‘The fact that he hides like a coward behind the legal privilege of Westminster says everything we need to know about him.’ Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee is considering holding an inquiry into the fallout from the Murrell scandal and has asked relevant Holyrood committees to consider ‘joint working’. SNP and Green MSPs previously united to defeat calls for a Scottish Parliament inquiry into the scandal. The SNP highlighted that Holyrood has already voted on the issue of an inquiry. An SNP spokesman said: ‘The criminal actions of Peter Murrell was uncovered by a complex and extensive Police investigation which found the SNP was the victim of embezzlement.’