Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell purchased 108 packs of Andrex toilet paper on 7 March 2020, spending £55 .98, just 48 hours before Nicola Sturgeon, then First Minister of Scotland, publicly urged the public to avoid bulk buying during the early COVID‑19 lockdown. The court documents, according to the source, reveal that Murrell continued to sttockpile essential items in the following weeks, buying 144 bottles of Evian mineral water and four packs of liquid laundry detergent. The scandal has ignited accusations that Sturgeon may have known about her husband’s actions, while she maintains she was unaware of the embezzlement of over £400,000 from the SNP.

£55.98 and 108 Packs: The Numbers Behind the Toilet‑Roll Row

According to the court filings cited in the source, Murrell spent £55.98 on 108 packs of Andrex toilet paper on 7 March 2020, a time when supermarkets were already experiencing severe shortages. the purchase took place only 48 hours before Sturgeon appeared at a press conference urging the public to "behave as rationally as possible" and to avoid bulk buying. the source notes that Murrell’s subsequent purchases included 144 bottles of Evian mineral water and four packs of liquid laundry detergent, further fueling the perception of a deliberate stockpiling strategy.

Opposition Leaders Slam Double Standards, Question Sturgeon’s Awareness

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton criticised the apparent double standards, stating, "Peter Murrell’s loo roll splurge suggests that he had advance notice of Nicola Sturgeon’s warning against panic buying , but it’s also typical of the SNP’s ‘do as I say, not as I do’ double standards." Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie echoed this sentiment, calling the hypocrisy "breathtaking" and suggesting it raises fresh questions about who within the party leadership knew what and when. the source reports that Baillie said, "The people of Scotland placed their trust in the SNP during a national crisis. They are entitled to feel that trust was abused."

Poll Shows Only 7% of Scots Trust Sturgeon’s Claims of Ignorance

A recent poll by Norstat for The Sunday Times, as reported in the source, found that only 7 per cent of Scots are certain that Sturgeon is telling the truth when she claims she had no knowledge of her husband’s embezzlement. Even among SNP voters, a mere 15 per cent are fully convinced of her honesty, with only 21 per cent of the general Scottish public willing to accept her account. The source contrasts these findings with John Swinney’s assertion that voters still have "strong confidennce" in the party.

Sturgeon’s Denial of Involvement Amid High‑Court Confession

During a recent interview with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Sturgeon refused to apologise to SNP donors for Murrell’s embezzlement of over £400,000 from party funds. She stated, "I am not guilty of that embezzlement so nothing that belongs to me should be part of that – rightly, it should not be part of that." The source notes that Murrell pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh to embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP, and Police Scotland has confiscated most of the items bought with the stolen money.