Peter Murrell, the husband of Nicola Sturgeon, the former leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and former First Minister of Scotland, was arrested last week (18 April) in an investigation into SNP funding and finances, and has now been formally charged by the police. Police said he was charged with embezzling party funds.
According to the latest news from the British media, SNP executives are worried that this matter will affect the general election, so they asked Sturgeon to keep a low profile and stay away from the election campaign as much as possible.
A recent big YouGov poll suggests that SNP's support in Scotland could be outnumbered by Labour in the next general election.
In March last year, Sturgeon resigned as First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party. A few weeks later, she was arrested along with her husband in the SNP financial investigation. While Sturgeon herself has not received any charges, some SNP members have privately expressed their desire for her to be suspended from the party.
Alex Neil, a senior member of the Scottish government when Sturgeon was in power, told the media: "We have to face the reality that the SNP are in a tough position in the general election and the last thing we need is to remind people of the stigma that Nicola Sturgeon brought and that she should stay at home." ”