Sturgeon: Brexit campaign spending claims need ‘serious investigation’

Nicola Sturgeon has called for a “serious and in depth investigation” in to claims the officially designated Brexit campaign “cheated” during the European Union referendum.

The First Minister said allegations of breaches of election rules by Vote Leave were “deeply and profoundly concerning”.

Speaking at First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, she also condemned the outing of one of the whistleblowers at the centre of the claims by one of the Prime Minister’s aides, describing Theresa May’s response as “woefully inadequate”.

Vote Leave has repeatedly denied allegations of collusion or deliberate overspending made by former campaign volunteer Shahmir Sanni and former Cambridge Analytica employee Christopher Wylie.

Mr Sanni has also alleged through his lawyers he had been “outed” by No 10 over a relationship he had at the time of the referendum with Stephen Parkinson – a senior figure in the Vote Leave campaign who is now Mrs May’s political secretary – after blowing the whistle. Ms Sturgeon said: “I think many of the revelations we’ve heard, and many of the allegations we’ve heard over the last couple of weeks are deeply and profoundly concerning.

“I thought the outing of a whistleblower by a member of Number 10 staff was utterly disgraceful, and should be condemned by everybody. I think the Prime Minister’s response to that was woefully inadequate.

“I think there has also been some very serious questions raised about the conduct of the Leave campaign … I think those questions merit very serious and in depth investigation.”