By Lucy Ashton
Douglas Ross has today written to Humza Yousaf demanding he answers a series of “legitimate and urgent” questions in relation to the financial scandal engulfing the SNP.
At FMQs yesterday, the Scottish Conservative leader had asked the First Minister and SNP leader to make a statement on the situation, to give the public the answers they deserve – but Humza Yousaf refused to be scrutinised in Parliament.
That has led Douglas Ross to write to the First Minister – who is also currently the SNP’s acting treasurer – with a number of questions he insists require answering.
Conservative leader Douglas Ross and First Minister Humza Yousaf.
These include: Humza Yousaf being asked to clarify whether the SNP are in danger of folding due to their financial problems; if they will be able to find auditors in time to file the party’s 2022 accounts; whether the failure to suspend Peter Murrell is due to the party still owing him £60,000; and the circumstances surrounding the former SNP Chief Executive’s loan to the party in June 2021.
Douglas Ross says Humza Yousaf cannot continue to “dodge” these crucial questions and attempt to cover them up in “typical SNP secrecy”.
He added that the real priorities of Scotland are being ignored while the First Minister refuses to be upfront about the ongoing investigation into his party.
Douglas Ross said: “Humza Yousaf was clearly in no mood to be scrutinised in Parliament over the financial scandal engulfing his party, when I challenged him to make a statement at First Minister’s Questions.
“While Parliamentary rules stop me from asking crucial questions about this murky situation, these questions are not going away for the First Minister and SNP leader. He is also now the SNP’s acting treasurer.
“If he is compromised in any way, he cannot continue to try and say this is not a matter for the government as well as his party.
“That is why I have now written to him with a series of questions he must be fully transparent over. These are legitimate and urgent questions the public need and deserve answers on.
“He cannot continue to dodge them and cover them up in typical SNP secrecy.
“The public must have confidence that Humza Yousaf is treating this investigation as seriously as possible. Right now, the real priorities of Scotland are being ignored by him and the SNP government as they are suffering an internal meltdown.
“If he is not going to make a statement to Parliament, then Humza Yousaf should do the right thing and respond to my questions as quickly as possible.”
The Westminster Government has just announced that it is going to stop all opposition funding to the SNP.
This funding, known as Short Money after it was introduced by Ted Short MP as money available to ALL opposition parties with over two MPs, is given to fund MP support services, administration and travel.
That it is essential funding the vindictive cutting of the funding to the SNP on the grounds that they don’t have party auditors is absolutely partisan and clear evidence of how the Brits have been working to destroy the independence movement.
Democracy in the UK, like Northern Ireland is an utter sham. Micks and Jocks are resented by the British Establishment on equal measure – and the Irish certainly know that as the repudiated Belfast Agreement to power share demonstrates so clearly.