‘Everybody’ doubted Nicola Sturgeon resignation speech after her husband’s arrest
Humza Yousaf has admitted people had doubts over Nicola Sturgeon’s real reasons for resigning as first minister after her husband was arrested by police.
Asked whether the arrest made him suspect that this was actually why she chose to step down when she did, he told an event at the Edinburgh Fringe: “I think everybody had that thought.”
However, the SNP leader added that he now believed Ms Sturgeon’s version of events about why she quit and that he believed she did not know “what people are accusing her of knowing”.
Speaking to the broadcaster and comedian Matt Forde, Mr Yousaf addressed the police investigation into his party which has resulted in the arrests of three senior figures.
Ms Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell was arrested in April, nine days after Mr Yousaf was crowned the new SNP leader. The party’s then treasurer Colin Beattie was arrested later that month, followed by Ms Sturgeon herself in June.
All three were later released without charge pending further inquiries. Ms Sturgeon has insisted she is “innocent of any wrongdoing” and has “committed no offence”, describing her arrest as “both a shock and deeply distressing”.
Mr Murrell has not commented publicly on his arrest, while Mr Beattie has only said the experience was not as bad as being under artillery fire in Beirut.
Appearing at the Fringe on Tuesday, Mr Yousaf insisted that he still would have run for SNP leader “if I had known then what was going to transpire”.
He continued: “In terms of the police investigation, I have to be careful what I say. I don’t believe that Nicola knew what people are accusing her of knowing.”
Mr Yousaf revealed that he had tried to persuade Ms Sturgeon not to resign when she called him at 9.45pm the night before she made the announcement in February.
“I won’t lie to you, there was a bit of choice language. I said I thought it was the wrong decision,” he said.
Asked whether the arrest of Mr Murrell, shortly after he won the leadership contest, had made him think this was the real reason Ms Sturgeon had quit, he replied: “I think everybody had that thought.
“But I genuinely believe Nicola when she says – we’ve not talked about the police investigation, but going by her public commentary – she has said, ‘Look I did not know what was going to happen,’ and it’s the stuff of absolute nightmares for her.
“She used the word ‘traumatic’ a few times. I’ve known Nicola for well over 15 years… I’ve not known Nicola to be dishonest or untruthful. I take her at face value.”
Mr Yousaf also acknowledged that the publicity generated by the police investigation into the SNP had damaged the beginning of his stint as First Minister.
His first major policy speech at Holyrood was overshadowed by the arrest of Mr Beattie that morning.
“The most frustrating part for me is the inability to get cut through for what I’m trying to do. I’m afraid whether I like it or not the police investigation of course has got cut through,” he said.
“That image of the police tent in the garden, that’s going to sear in people’s minds.”
