FORMER Scottish first minister Jack McConnell called today for a joint Holyrood and Westminster inquiry into Peter Murrell’s embezzlement of SNP funds.

The Labour peer has spoken out amid growing calls — ranging from SNP members to former SNP parliamentarians as well as other political parties — calling for the circumstances that allowed Mr Murrell’s 12-year looting of party funds to go unchecked for so long.

So far, First Minister John Swinney has rejected the calls, insisting: “You cannot get any inquiry more detailed than a police inquiry, and I think we should all respect the fact there has been a detailed inquiry into all the issues.” 

Speaking to the Scotsman, however, Lord McConnell argued the fact that Mr Murrell’s convictions raised wider questions that required an inquiry.

He said: “They received over that time millions of pounds of public money to organise their party affairs. So I think this should be a joint public inquiry.

“I think it should probably be led by the public accounts committee of the House of Commons but it should be done equally and jointly with the equivalent committee at Holyrood.

“These are issues that are UK-wide. They’re issues for the Electoral Commission and for the UK Parliament.”

He added: “It should not just be about getting to the bottom of what happened in the SNP, it should be about: how do we strengthen our democracy?”

A public accounts committee spokesperson said: “The committee is aware of calls for it to launch an inquiry into the Scottish National Party’s use of public money, and will in due course consider whether to do so.”

A Scottish Parliament spokesperson said: “Decisions about the establishment of committees are a matter for the [parliamentary] Bureau.”