Speaking in the House of Commons, veteran MP David Davis launched a scathing attack on former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, accusing her of lying about her knowledge of her husband’s embezzlement and orchestrating a political cover-up that allegedly targeted former SNP leader Alex Salmond.

The parliamentary address follows last month’s sentencing of Peter Murrell, Sturgeon’s husband and the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP), for embezzling nearly £500,000 of party funds between 2010 and 2022. During his speech, Davis detailed a litany of extravagant purchases funded by the embezzled money. These included a £33,000 Volkswagen Golf, a £57,000 Jaguar, a £124,000 motorhome, and thousands of pounds spent on designer handbags, fountain pens, and luxury kitchenware .

Davis firmly rejected Sturgeon’s previous denials of knowledge regarding the source of the funds. Pointing to items such as £350 Dyson hairdryers, Davis questioned how Sturgeon could have been unaware of the illicit spending . “My view on her denials is clear: she is lying,” Davis told the chamber . He stated she knew full well what her husband was doing and how the luxury purchases were funded.

The MP further alleged that Sturgeon ignored early warnings about Murrell’s conduct from Alex Salmond and subsequently fostered a “toxic culture” within the party to suppress dissent. He noted that when members of the SNP’s finance committee resigned in protest in March 2021 over “chaotic and incompetent financial management,” Sturgeon reportedly reassured colleagues that there were no reasons to be concerned about the party’s finances .

In the most explosive segment of his address, Davis accused Sturgeon of being part of a cover-up and committing an “evil act” by deliberately “stitching up” Alex Salmond to prevent him from returning to the SNP’s national executive, where he might have exposed the financial irregularities . Davis characterized the Scottish government’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against Salmond—a procedure later ruled unlawful and tainted by apparent bias by a judge—as a “malicious and concerted attempt” to ruin Salmond’s reputation and hide the ongoing financial crimes . Salmond was subsequently acquitted of all criminal charges by a majority female jury .

Davis also raised serious questions about the police investigation into the SNP’s finances, suggesting a conflict of interest at the highest levels of the Scottish justice system. He pointed out that £60,000 worth of items—including hair stylers, lingerie, and books by Sturgeon’s favorite authors—were dropped from Murrell’s indictment, arguing this was done to protect the former First Minister from implication . Furthermore, he claimed that prosecutors working for the Lord Advocate actively prevented police from putting further questions to Sturgeon .

Concluding his remarks, Davis stated that Scotland needs a “fresh start” and called for a full judicial inquiry into a scandal that he described as having “cost Alex Salmond his life” .