Why was Nicola Sturgeon arrested?

Former Scotland first minister Nicola Sturgeon spent Sunday in a police station being questioned as part of a criminal investigation into her party’s finances. The investigation concerns the whereabouts of about £666,000 in SNP donations collected after Brexit from supporters of a new independence referendum, which was never held.

She was released without charge shortly before 5.30pm. An adept media performer, an hour after her release she issued a statement saying she was “certain I have committed no offence” and her arrest was “a shock and deeply distressing”. When she announced she was stepping down from her party’s leadership in March she said her decision had nothing to do with the investigation which began in 2021.

Her arrest came two months after the arrest of her husband, the SNP’s former chief executive, Peter Murrell – the search of the couple’s home included the extraordinary sight of a forensic tent pitched in their front garden. Colin Beattie quit as SNP treasurer when he was also arrested in April. Both were released without charge.

Her successor and friend First Minister Humza Yousaf has so far resisted calls to strip her of party membership, a move that many feel makes him look weak. So how has her arrest damaged her reputation, and how will it impact on the SNP, a party already showing deep divisions. What now for Scottish independence? And will the SNP’s difficulty be Labour’s opportunity? Mark Paul, Irish Times London editor, assesses recent unprecedented events in Scotland. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.