A ‘difficult’ week: Nicola Sturgeon breaks her silence following arrest of husband

Nicola Sturgeon vowed to “fully cooperate” with the police as she broke her silence yesterday following the dramatic arrest of her husband on Wednesday.

In her first public comments since former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell’s arrest and the police search of the couple’s home, the former first minister said recent days had been “obviously difficult”.

She declined to say whether detectives investigating the spending of around £600,000 which was earmarked for an independence campaign have indicated that they wish to quiz her.

Asked if she had been questioned by officers, Sturgeon replied: “I haven’t, but I will fully cooperate with the police as and when they request that, if indeed they do.”

© Andrew Cawley

Murrell was arrested on Wednesday morning and released later without charge pending further investigation.

Police searched their home in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, for more than a day, with uniformed officers also searching the SNP’s headquarters in Edinburgh.

Sturgeon appeared outside their home yesterday, and gave a brief statement to the media.

She said Murrell was home but was “not able to say anything” about his arrest while the investigation continued.

© Ian Rutherford/Shutterstock

“Again, that’s not necessarily a matter of choice. That’s just the nature of this,” she said.

The former first minister said she could not comment on the investigation into the spending of around £600,000 which was earmarked for an independence campaign, “as much as there are things I may want to say”.

“The last few days have been obviously difficult, quite dramatic at times, but I understand that is part of a process,” she said.

The MSP said she understood the “scrutiny that comes on me as a public figure” but urged the media to respect her privacy.