The Westminster Scottish Affairs Committee (SAC) has confirmed it will launch its own inquiry into the fallout from the Peter Murrell scandal, after Holyrood declined to hold one itself. Murrell, the SNP's former chief executive and Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband, pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party, and the move to a Westminster-led probe follows political pressure from Conservative MPs and Scottish Labour's acting leader over the SNP's perceived reluctance to allow scrutiny.

The decision comes after three Scottish Parliament committees turned down a request to co-operate on an inquiry, prompting the Labour-led SAC, chaired by Patricia Ferguson, to step in instead. The committee, which also includes five Labour, two Conservative, two Liberal Democrat and one SNP member, will examine the Electoral Commission's oversight of political party funding and governance in Scotland. Dame Jackie Baillie accused the SNP of fostering a "culture of secrecy and cover-up," while Kemi Badenoch had previously said Westminster should act if Holyrood failed to do so.