SNP membership falls, deficit soars and £100,000 campervan now only worth £41,000, accounts reveal

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The SNP spent much than £100,000 connected the campervan that was seized from the driveway of Nicola Sturgeon's mother-in-law, the party's fiscal accounts person revealed.

The luxury vehicle, which was confiscated 2 years agone by Police Scotland arsenic portion of Operation Branchform, remains impounded and is present worthy little than fractional of its archetypal cost.

Financial accounts for past twelvemonth amusement the enactment spent £100,790 connected the motorhome, but that has since depreciated to £41,284 arsenic of 31 December 2024.

Treasurer Stuart McDonald said: "This plus has been impounded by authorities since April 2023 and has not been disposable for the party's usage since that time.

"The enactment retains ownership of the motorhome and expects its aboriginal release."

The SNP said the outgo is based connected the presumption that determination has been "no further impairment beyond mean depreciation" portion successful the custody of the nationalist force.

The 2024 accounts, published by the Electoral Commission this week, amusement a £455,254 shortage - compared to a surplus of £661,568 the twelvemonth before.

Mr McDonald explained: "It is important to constituent retired that a shortage of this quality is not antithetic during a parliamentary predetermination twelvemonth - for illustration 2021, 2017 and 2016 each saw akin oregon greater deficits incurred.

"It is besides important to constituent retired that important steps person been taken to amended fiscal performance, and the one-off costs of immoderate of these steps relationship for overmuch of that deficit, but person already delivered important savings since."

Decreasing rank numbers, unit redundancies, and the nonaccomplishment of MPs astatine past year's wide predetermination were said to person impacted the party's finances.

Membership has fallen to 56,011 arsenic of 1 June 2025, down from 64,525 the aforesaid clip past twelvemonth and little than fractional of its highest of astir 125,000 successful 2019.

Membership fees stood astatine £1,833,039 successful 2024, down from £2,093,967 the erstwhile year.

However, donations surged from £369,308 successful 2023 to £937,167 successful 2024 - the highest level since 2017.

 PA

Image: Nicola Sturgeon with estranged hubby Peter Murrell. Pic: PA

The accounts amusement the enactment inactive owes erstwhile main enforcement Peter Murrell £60,000 pursuing a indebtedness of £107,620 successful 2021. The enactment repaid £47,620 the aforesaid year.

Mr Murrell, the estranged hubby of erstwhile archetypal curate Ms Sturgeon, has been charged with embezzlement, with a further tribunal day to beryllium set.

Ms Sturgeon was besides arrested arsenic portion of the constabulary probe into the SNP's backing and finances, nevertheless the probe was later dropped with nary further enactment to beryllium taken.

The campervan was seized from the driveway of the Dunfermline location of Mr Murrell's mother.

In regards to the loan, Mr McDonald said: "There is nary ceremonial indebtedness statement successful place, nary involvement is charged connected the outstanding balance, and nary circumstantial repayment presumption person been agreed.

"The erstwhile main enforcement has not formally requested repayment of the outstanding balance.

"Due to the lack of agreed repayment presumption and the deficiency of caller connection regarding settlement, determination is uncertainty arsenic to when, oregon if, this indebtedness volition beryllium repaid to the erstwhile main executive, and whether it whitethorn yet beryllium waived oregon written off."

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The yearly accounts of the SNP Westminster radical of MPs were besides published, showing a shortage of £155,803.

The accounts were independently audited by MMG Chartered Accountants, which identified nary "material uncertainties".

Craig Hoy MSP, the Scottish Conservative shadiness concern secretary, said the shortage successful the SNP's accounts showed the enactment "cannot beryllium trusted to adjacent tally their ain finances, ne'er caput the ever-growing blackhole they are presiding implicit successful Scotland's finances".

An SNP spokesperson said: "The SNP is the largest governmental enactment successful Scotland by acold and it is precise encouraging to spot bonzer levels of donations implicit the people of past twelvemonth - the highest since 2017.

"Our occurrence relies connected each of our members and supporters who lend successful immoderate mode they can.

"We are approaching the 2026 predetermination up successful the polls and acceptable to instrumentality our affirmative imaginativeness of Scotland's aboriginal arsenic an autarkic state to the people."

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