The SNP spent greater than £100,000 on the campervan that was seized from the driveway of Nicola Sturgeon’s mother-in-law, the occasion’s monetary accounts have revealed.
The luxurious automobile, which was confiscated two years in the past by Police Scotland as a part of Operation Branchform, stays impounded and is now price lower than half of its authentic value.
Monetary accounts for final yr present the occasion spent £100,790 on the motorhome, however that has since depreciated to £41,284 as of 31 December 2024.
Treasurer Stuart McDonald mentioned: “This asset has been impounded by authorities since April 2023 and has not been available for the party’s use since that time.
“The occasion retains possession of the motorhome and expects its future launch.”
The SNP mentioned the fee relies on the idea that there was “no additional impairment beyond normal depreciation” whereas within the custody of the nationwide power.
The 2024 accounts, revealed by the Electoral Fee this week, present a £455,254 deficit – in comparison with a surplus of £661,568 the yr earlier than.
Mr McDonald defined: “It is important to point out that a deficit of this nature is not unusual during a parliamentary election year – for example 2021, 2017 and 2016 all saw similar or greater deficits incurred.
“Additionally it is vital to level out that vital steps have been taken to enhance monetary efficiency, and the one-off prices of a few of these steps account for a lot of that deficit, however have already delivered vital financial savings since.”
Reducing membership numbers, workers redundancies, and the lack of MPs finally yr’s basic election have been mentioned to have impacted the occasion’s funds.
Membership has fallen to 56,011 as of 1 June 2025, down from 64,525 the identical time final yr and fewer than half of its peak of round 125,000 in 2019.
Membership charges stood at £1,833,039 in 2024, down from £2,093,967 the earlier yr.
Nevertheless, donations surged from £369,308 in 2023 to £937,167 in 2024 – the best degree since 2017.
Picture:
Nicola Sturgeon with estranged husband Peter Murrell. Pic: PA
The accounts present the occasion nonetheless owes former chief government Peter Murrell £60,000 following a mortgage of £107,620 in 2021. The occasion repaid £47,620 the identical yr.
Mr Murrell, the estranged husband of former first minister Ms Sturgeon, has been charged with embezzlement, with an extra courtroom date to be set.
Ms Sturgeon was additionally arrested as a part of the police probe into the SNP’s funding and funds, nevertheless the investigation was later dropped with no additional motion to be taken.
The campervan was seized from the driveway of the Dunfermline residence of Mr Murrell’s mom.
Regarding the mortgage, Mr McDonald mentioned: “There is no formal loan agreement in place, no interest is charged on the outstanding balance, and no specific repayment terms have been agreed.
“The previous chief government has not formally requested reimbursement of the excellent steadiness.
“Due to the absence of agreed repayment terms and the lack of recent communication regarding settlement, there is uncertainty as to when, or if, this loan will be repaid to the former chief executive, and whether it may ultimately be waived or written off.”
The annual accounts of the SNP Westminster group of MPs have been additionally revealed, exhibiting a deficit of £155,803.
The accounts have been independently audited by MMG Chartered Accountants, which recognized no “material uncertainties”.
Craig Hoy MSP, the Scottish Conservative shadow finance secretary, mentioned the deficit within the SNP’s accounts confirmed the occasion “cannot be trusted to even run their own finances, never mind the ever-growing blackhole they are presiding over in Scotland’s finances”.
An SNP spokesperson mentioned: “The SNP is the largest political party in Scotland by far and it is very encouraging to see extraordinary levels of donations over the course of last year – the highest since 2017.
“Our success depends on all of our members and supporters who contribute in no matter means they’ll.
“We are approaching the 2026 election ahead in the polls and ready to take our positive vision of Scotland’s future as an independent country to the people.”
