A MOTORHOME which was reportedly seized by police amid an investigation into SNP finances was intended to be a bus used for campaigning.
The Daily Record reports that the £110,000 campervan was earmarked for the SNP Holyrood election campaign in 2021 although was never used until after Covid restrictions were lifted.
Reports in the Mail on Sunday last week suggested that a Niesmann+Bischoff motorhome was taken from outside the Dunfermline house of Peter Murrell’s mother.
The SNP’s former chief executive and Nicola Sturgeon’s husband was arrested last week but later released without charge.
READ MORE: 'We've got to keep the dial up': Brian Cox 'worried' about independence drive
A SNP source told the Daily Record that Covid rules had been up in the air when the motorhome was bought and that the party saw it as an option for campaigning depending on what restrictions were.
They said: “The campervan was about trying to have an ability to campaign while complying with the rules. It would have acted as a mobile campaign room.
“It would mean not having a need for hotels and minimise mixing.”
One party insider also told the paper that the campervan was “not a great idea”.
Speaking at an event in Leith on Tuesday, Humza Yousaf was asked about the campervan, although he said that he was “not going to comment on a live police investigation”.
The investigation into party finances has led to criticism from other parties across Scotland.
Scottish Labour’s deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the SNP are “testing the credulity of the people of Scotland to the extreme”.
An SNP spokesperson said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on any live police investigation. The SNP has been cooperating fully with this investigation and will continue to do so.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article