Husband of former Scotland leader Nicola Sturgeon arrested in finance probe

Then-Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her husband, Peter Murrell, stand outside a polling station in Glasgow in December 2019. The husband of former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested in a party finance probe, British media reported Wednesday. Police in Scotland did not identify Peter Murrell as the 58-year old man whom they arrested Wednesday “in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party.” However, Britain’s Press Assn., the BBC and others reported that it was Murrell. “In my head and in my heart I know that time is now,” she said, “that it’s right for me, for my party and my country.” World & Nation U.K. top court rules against Scottish independence vote plan The U.K. Supreme Court has ruled that Scotland does not have the power to hold a new referendum on independence without the consent of the British government. Deputy Scottish Labor Party leader Jackie Baillie said the arrest was “deeply concerning” and called on Sturgeon and her successor, Humza Yousaf, to “urgently state what they knew and when.” Yousaf said he had not had a role in party finances and vowed to be transparent under his leadership.