Peter Murrell bought £4795 luxury watch with SNP money the day after election losses

Peter Murrell bought a £4795 luxury watch with SNP money the day after his party suffered shock losses in the 2017 general election.

The ex-chief executive and estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon has admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party after a spending spree spanning more than a decade.

And we can reveal hours after the SNP lost a third of its Westminster seats in 2017 – including Alex Salmond’s Gordon constituency – Murrell bought a black Bremont ALT1 World Timer for £4795.

Court documents show Murrell also indulged in an extraordinary bout of retail therapy in the month the Scottish Government initiated an investigation into claims of sexual misconduct against former first minister Salmond.

In March 2018 – the month Salmond was informed of the probe – he spent £3774 on a high end Leica Q camera and another £466 on photography ­kit.

Murrell, 61, also spent almost £500 on Le Creuset pots and pans, £206 on mugs from the same brand, and £500 on a Dyson vacuum cleaner.

Two days after it broke that Salmond was being probed on August 25, Murrell bought a luxury purse for £136 and a “gentleman’s knife” with an ebony handle for £406.

The probe into Salmond’s conduct was found to be unlawful and biased, and Salmond was also later cleared in a criminal court of any wrongdoing.

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Last week, we told how Murrell embezzled, on average, more than £90 a day of SNP funds daily for 12 years before he was stopped – including a £124,550 motor-home, a Jaguar I-PACE worth £57,000, and made a direct transfer of £16,498 from the party’s account towards the purchase of a £33,000 Volkswagen Golf in 2016.

He also forked out on home comforts and a bookcase prominent in Sturgeon’s Covid briefings.

An allegation relating to a white Bremont ALT1 World Timer watch bought in May 2017 costing £4555 was removed from the indictment. But the black Bremont ALT1 World Timer costing £4795, bought in 2017, stayed on the list.

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Salmond died in 2024 in North Macedonia.

We can also reveal Murrell’s spending peaked in 2020, the year Salmond was cleared of 13 sexual offence charges in March. That month alone, Murrell spent £2777.95 making purchases on five separate days.

In the run-up to Salmond’s trial, on March 2, he spent £418.50 on goods including an ice cream scoop, spoons, and a cake stand. A week on he spent £308.99 on tools and £94.75 on Radford sugar tongs and a Scribe gift set.

Between March 11 and 14, he spent £1955.82 on purchases including a cordless Dyson vacuum cleaner from Argos, lamps costing £1149.88, and another Dyson vacuum cleaner from John Lewis costing more than £400.

Murrell, who was originally accused of stealing £459,046 in party cash, pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,310.65.

Following his guilty plea he was remanded in custody and is expected to receive a significant jail sentence when he returns to the High Court next month.

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Former SNP minister Alex Neil hit out at him over the recent revelations, saying: “From the dates of some of his purchases Murrell appears to have been celebrating each setback and what he perceived to be Alex Salmond’s downfall.

“That might well have been part of his motivation, but he also probably thought he was going to get away with it. He thought nobody would notice because of what he did to hide it and the fact that clearly even while people were concerned about the finances, nobody at that stage, even suspected embezzlement.

“So he didn’t have anything to fear. He basically had a free-for-all to himself.

“The joint income between him and his wife was not far short of a quarter of a million pounds, and they had no ­children. They had Bute House as well as their own house, and she had a chauffeur-driven car, what more did he want?

“It looks like he went on a spending spree every time Alex Salmond had a setback.

“And Murrell, who is apparently going to give some kind of statement in court this month, must explain: was this just greed? Why did he do this? What was he trying to achieve?

“Was he celebrating the downfall of Alex Salmond? Or was he jealous of others who’d get more money than him?

“Was he trying to embarrass the party? Was he trying to get one over on the party hierarchy, even although his wife was at the top of that.

“He owes it to the people, the party in particular, the party members, and the non-party members who donated to the fund for the referendum, to give an explanation as to why did this.

“He should also make an ­apology to the people who’ve been badly affected by this whole episode, which has caused a lot of serious damage to the reputation, not just of the SNP, but Scottish politics in general.”

“It clearly demonstrates the need for far, far tighter controls as well. It would absolutely ruin the party’s accountability if it were allowed to happen again. That’s why I want an independent investigation.” Scottish

Tory Leader, Russell Findlay MSP said: “You couldn’t mark Peter Murrell’s neck with a blow torch.

“Even at some of the lowest points for his party, he was stealing ordinary members’ cash to bankroll his and Nicola Sturgeon’s lavish lifestyle. Increasing numbers of SNP members surely understand that a parliamentary inquiry is essential.”

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Scottish Labour deputy leader ­Jackie Baillie said: “It is clear Peter Murrell was a prolific spender, yet no one in the SNP thought to inquire as to where the cash was going or had the slightest interest in looking at the books.

Murrell used donations to fund an extravagant lifestyle for himself and Nicola Sturgeon. There will be many people across the country who think it stretches credulity that his lavish spending did not raise any eyebrows.

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“Scottish Labour believes there should be an inquiry into these issues.”