Nicola Sturgeon scolded over 'gobsmacking' SNP embezzling scandal: 'Serious questions to answer!'

Nicola Sturgeon has "serious questions to answer" about what she knew about the SNP embezzlement scandal, Cabinet Office minister Anna Turley has declared.

Speaking to GB News, Ms Turley took aim at the former Scottish First Minister after her estranged husband Peter Murrell admitted to embezzling £400,000 from the Scottish National Party.

Ms Sturgeon has assured via her lawyers that she had "no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever" that personal items had been purchased using SNP funds.

Reacting to the scandal, Ms Turley told GB News that the embezzling is a "gobsmacking" scandal.

She said: "I was really shocked to hear the scale of the money involved. This lavish spending is really quite shocking, and I think the SNP and Nicola have serious questions to answer.

"I don't know all the details, we don't know what she did or didn't know, but I think serious questions have to be asked, because it's just not acceptable."

Ms Turley warned that such a scandal brings "all politics into disrepute".

She added: "We're here for public service, and when this kind of act is being undertaken, it's absolutely shocking. It brings all of politics into disrepute.

"They need some transparency and accountability, and there are some serious questions to be answered here."

Ms Turley denied that there were comparisons with the Peter Mandelson scandal when pressed by GB News host Alex Armstrong: "Well, I don't think you can bind all these things up together.

"The Prime Minister has a job to do. He apologised for a mistake that he made for the best reasons for the country."

She assured: "He apologised that he got that wrong, and the reality is he's got a huge amount as Prime Minister of this country in global turmoil to be focusing on.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Labour MPs prepare to DEFECT if Andy Burnham fails to oust Keir Starmer from No10
• Nicola Sturgeon urged to 'come clean on exactly what she knew' about Peter Murrell's £400k splurge
• John Swinney apologises for ‘overwhelming betrayal’ by Peter Murrell in £400K embezzlement scandal

"This is very different to an issue where this is an independent person who has clearly broken the law, who has creamed off money and was married to the First Minister.

"So, there are serious questions here to be asked about where this money went, and it just doesn't smell right."

On the case of the three teenage boys who received non-custodial sentences for raping two schoolgirls, she said it is "absolutely right" that the case is looked at again: "I would be as shocked as everybody around the country. I was horrified to read of what took place in that horrendous crime, and my heart goes out to the victims.

"Because what we see time and again is not only that they become the victims through the horrendous incidents, but also then they have to relive the crimes that happened to them in court."

Ms Turley concluded: "We can only encourage young women and girls to go through that process if they feel at the end of it there will be justice, and those poor victims have been very clear that they don't feel here that justice has been served, and that's why it's absolutely right that the law officers are looking again at this sentence, because I think everyone can see that this is a horrendous crime.

"I know the Attorney General has taken this very seriously, and will be looking at this, and it's right that we redouble our efforts more broadly on violence against women and girls, we're putting record amounts of money into educating young boys, particularly, but all children in schools to try and prevent this, but of course, there's so much more we need to be doing."

In a statement via her lawyers, Ms Sturgeon has said: "I have seen questions raised about how I could not have known about this. I want to reiterate that I had no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that personal items had been purchased using SNP funds.

"I was cleared of any wrongdoing after a lengthy and thorough investigation. In relation to many of the items in question, for example expensive watches and games consoles, I was not aware of them having been purchased at all."