Peter Murrell
Peter Murrell | |
|---|---|
Murrell in 2014 | |
| Chief Executive of the Scottish National Party | |
| In office 2001 – 18 March 2023 | |
| Leader | John Swinney Alex Salmond Nicola Sturgeon |
| Preceded by | Michael Russell |
| Succeeded by | Michael Russell (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Peter Tierney Murrell 8 December 1964 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Party | Scottish National Party (until 2024) |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
Peter Tierney Murrell (born 1964) is a Scottish former political worker who served as Chief Executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2001 to 2023. He is married to former party leader and First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, since 2010, they separated in January 2025.
A key figure in the SNP for over twenty years, Murrell was regarded as central to the SNP's victory in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election. He came under greater scrutiny after 2015 when his wife Nicola Sturgeon became SNP leader, and his role in both the Alex Salmond sexual harassment scandal and controversial party financing led several senior party figures to call for his resignation. After being accused of giving misleading party membership figures during the 2023 Scottish National Party leadership election, Murrell resigned as chief executive in the March of that year.
Murrell subsequently resigned his membership of the party after being arrested as part of Operation Branchform, a major police investigation into the party's finances. He was charged with embezzlement in 2024 and appeared in court for the first time in March 2025.