New court documents have revealed that Peter Murrell , the disgraced former CEO of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and estranged husband of ex-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, spent £55.98 on 108 Andrex toilet rolls on 7 March 2020 — less than two days before Sturgeon publicly urged Scots to avoid panic-buying. The purchase, along with subsequent acquisitions of Evian water and laundry detergent, has ignited accusations of hypocritical double standards within the SNP’s leadership.. A recent Norstat poll for The Sunday Times shows that only 7 percent of Scots are fully convinced by Sturgeon’s repeated denials of any knowledge of her husband’s illicit spending.

108 toilet rolls and a 9 March warning: the timeline that fuels the hypocrisy charge

According to court documents cited by the source report, Murrell’s bulk purchase of toilet rolls occurred on 7 March 2020. Just two days later, on 9 March, Sturgeon held a press conference telling citizens to “behave as rationally as possible” and refrain from stockpiling. The timing suggests Murrell may have had advance knowledge of his wife’s upcoming advice, leading Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton to accuse him of receiving “insider information” while ignoring the public plea. The purchases did not stop with toilet rolls: in the following weeks Murrell also bought 144 bottles of Evian water and multiple packs of liquid laundry detergent , reinforcing the pattern of pre-emptive hoarding.

Why only 7% of Scots believe Nicola Sturgeon’s account

The Norstat poll commissioned by The Sunday Times paints a stark picture of public scepticism. Just 7 percent of Scots fully accept Sturgeon’s claim that she was unaware of her husband’s spending. Even among SNP voters, only 15 percent believe her without reservation. Overall, only 21 percent of people across Scotland are willing to accept her narrative about the source and nature of the purchased items, which include luxury goods such as a £124,000 camper van and expensive jewellery. The poll results, the source reports, suggest a public that finds Sturgeon’s assertions implausible given the scale and nature of the embezzlement.

The £124,000 camper van that party officials discussed in 2021

Among the most damaging revelations is Murrell’s purchase of a £124,000 camper van with embezzled party funds. Court documents show that party officials had discussed the vehicle as early as 2021, yet Sturgeon has calimed she never saw it. In a BBC interview with Laura Kuenssberg, Sturgeon became tearful while discussing jewellery bought with the stolen money, but categorically refused to apologise to SNP donors or contribute any personal assets toward recovering the stolen funds, which total over £400,000. She argued that because she was “not guilty of that embezzlement,” nothing she owns should be part of the recovery process, a stance that opposition leaders have called breathtakingly hypocritical.

What the Norstat poll reveals about SNP trust under John Swinney

First Minister John Swinney, who succeeded Sturgeon, has tried to reassure party members that voters retain “strong confidence” in the SNP.. But the Norstat poll suggests otherwise: only a tiny fraction of the public buys Sturgeon’s version of events, and the ongoing revelations — culminating in Murrell’s guilty plea to embezzling more than £400,000 — have eroded trust in the party’s leadership. Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie called the situation “breathtaking” in its hypocrisy, arguing that each new disclosure casts light on the culture fostered under Sturgeon and former Deputy First Minister John Swinney’s tenure. With Police Scotland having confiscated most of the purchased items, the political and reputational damage continues to mount as questions about oversight and accountability remain unanswered.