ThE marrIagE ISSUE

MICHELLE THOMSON has warned of the risks for the SNP of leader Nicola Sturgeon being married to the party’s chief executive.

Miss Sturgeon married Peter Murrell, the SNP’s chief executive, in 2010 and has faced questions about the couple’s concentration of power over the party since she became leader in 2014.

Earlier this year former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said Mr Murrell should be replaced within a year over fears his marriage to the First Minister is affecting his judgment.

The senior Nationalist claimed that even if it is ‘subconscious’, Mr Murrell’s relationship with Miss Sturgeon must impact his ability to advise her in his role as SNP chief executive.

And now Mrs Thomson said: “I agree with the view of Kenny MacAskill in that I concur with the concern that there is no other organisation where you have a leader married to the chief executive.

“In what you call corporate governance that is generally frowned upon, and for good reason.

“It potentially brings problems where you have a married couple at the heart of an organisation.

“I would describe it as having risks where you have married couples in those roles. I know from my business experience the reason it is frowned up on is that it carries risk.”

Mrs Thomson said she could not pinpoint any examples of where the relationship has caused any problems but that it remains a risk for the SNP.

The former Edinburgh West MP also said the party had become too bogged down in the process around the next independence referendum and needs to, “talk much more about the vision for Scotland”.