…By Henry George for TDPel Media.
Murray Foote, former head of communications for the SNP, has spoken publicly for the first time about the police investigation into the party’s finances, saying he is confident that it will not result in any charges.
Foote resigned in March after a controversy over the party providing inaccurate membership figures during its leadership election.
The investigation, codenamed Operation Branchform, led to the arrest of former chief executive Peter Murrell and ex-treasurer MSP Colin Beattie, but they were later released without charge.
Foote speculated on the veracity of the probe and whether it is a “wild goose chase,” branding it a “grotesque spectacle.”
Foote compared the situation to Rangers, where administrators David Whitehouse and Paul Clark were falsely arrested over the football club’s financial woes.
He argued that if the police have misjudged this investigation, as in the Rangers case, the reputational cost will be far more substantial than the cash spent on manpower.
Foote attacked the Conservatives, saying they know they are the “real party of corruption” and accused them of exploiting the situation.
It is interesting to see Foote’s confidence in the police investigation’s outcome despite the arrests of two former senior members of the SNP.
His comparison with the Rangers case highlights the potential costs of an investigation collapsing in scandal, both reputational and financial.
Foote’s attack on the Conservatives suggests that the SNP sees the investigation as politically motivated and seeks to shift the focus to their opponents.
The appointment of new auditors by SNP leader Humza Yousaf is a positive development, as it shows the party’s commitment to meeting its statutory obligations.