A Scottish Greens amendment to a call for an inquiry into Peter Murrell’s embezzlement of £400,000 from the SNP was a “smokescreen”, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader has said.
A Labour call for an inquiry to be held to “restore public trust in Scottish politics” was rejected at Holyrood on Wednesday.
MSPs instead favoured the Greens’ suggestion of a wider independent review into party political finances and the Green amendment, which removed Labour’s call for a Holyrood inquiry, was passed.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said the SNP is “sweeping things under the carpet”.
She told BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme on Thursday: “The Greens amendment that they moved is literally a smokescreen and a place, if you like, that affords cover for the SNP.
“This is about, as far as the Government and the SNP are concerned, sweeping things under the carpet, nothing to see here, we have just to trust them.
“The reality is, this is probably one of the biggest scandals that I have witnessed in Scotland in the Scottish Parliament, and it doesn’t just impact on the SNP, it impacts on all our politicians, because the lack of trust that the public have is further undermined, so we do need a parliamentary inquiry.
“It should be cross-party, so there are questions that actually have nothing to do with the internal workings of the SNP.
“The internal workings of the SNP should be considered by them and should be considered by the Electoral Commission, but the reality is there are questions in relation to the length and cost of the police investigation.”
Murrell pleaded guilty last month to embezzling more than £400,000 over 12 years and will be sentenced later in June.
Asked whether Scottish Labour would take part in the inquiry that was voted through Holyrood, Dame Jackie said: “If an inquiry is set up, we will of course take part.”
MPs on the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster could still step in and launch their own investigation.
The committee has made clear it feels Holyrood is the “most appropriate place for an inquiry”, with MPs now waiting to see if there is any change at the Scottish Parliament before they decide if they should “undertake substantive work on this matter”.
Scottish Public Service Reform Secretary Ivan McKee was asked about Wednesday’s vote at Holyrood when he appeared on the same programme as Dame Jackie.
Asked why the SNP had resisted Labour’s call for an inquiry, he said: “The SNP are the victims here, it’s important to recognise that, and the motion that was passed yesterday which we supported, brought forward by the Greens, was for an inquiry into all political parties.”
He said issues about how the SNP handled things such as whistleblowing and complaints and concerns about party finances are matters for the SNP itself and said the party has “completely changed the governance”.
He added: “What we are focused on is making sure that the governance we’ve got in place now delivers what it needs to, which it is doing, and taking part in the inquiry that Parliament voted for yesterday, into all political parties, which I think is a correct way to approach this.”
Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: “What the Scottish Greens proposed is the bare minimum that any democrat should support, rather than the childish and self-serving nonsense that was offered by a Labour Party that has just achieved the worst election result in its history.
“The SNP’s failings are clear, and it’s right that any further investigations into the Peter Murrell saga are led by Police Scotland or the Electoral Commission rather than MSPs treating it as a political circus.
“Parliament has voted for an independent process and we hope it is one that the Labour Party co-operate with, rather than obstructing and undermining it before it has even begun.
“People across Scotland are sick of the wealthiest people having the loudest voice. All parties have a role if we are to restore trust.”
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