SNP warns Electoral Commission over ‘issue’ to find new auditors as deadline looms

The SNP has warned the Electoral Commission of the “difficulty” it’s having to find new auditors after its earlier agency resigned amid the controversy over the social gathering’s funds.

The admission to the elections watchdog comes simply months earlier than a crunch deadline which requires political events to submit their accounts to the company by 7 July, or danger being fined.

The SNP is going through questions and accusations of secrecy over the timeline of the resignation of Johnston Carmichael, which was introduced final week.

SNP chief and Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf stated earlier on Tuesday that they had stop “round about October” – months earlier than the official announcement – however Sky News has now been informed the auditors had in truth resigned a month earlier in September.

It is known Johnston Carmichael knowledgeable the SNP in September 2022 that it might not be capable of perform the audit due for 2023 following a assessment of their shopper portfolio.

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The social gathering then started approaching different corporations in late 2022 to no avail, with the search intensifying in early 2023. As but, the social gathering has not been capable of establish a agency with the out there capability.

Mr Yousaf raised eyebrows after he admitted he had additionally not been conscious of Johnston Carmichael’s resignation final 12 months, saying he couldn’t “comment on what was done prior to me becoming a leader of the SNP”.

However, he agreed it was “extraordinary” that the social gathering had did not appoint a brand new set of auditors since that they had resigned.

The wrestle to seek out alternative auditors comes following the dramatic occasions of final week which prompted Johnston Carmichael to verify it was now not dealing with the SNP’s accounts.

Days earlier than, Peter Murrell, the previous social gathering chief govt and Ms Sturgeon’s husband, was arrested and questioned by police investigating the social gathering’s funds.

Mr Murrell, who had been within the position for 25 years, stop throughout the contest to seek out Ms Sturgeon’s successor after she unexpectedly introduced her resignation.

Last week he was questioned by Police Scotland as a part of its investigation into the whereabouts of £600,000 of social gathering donations earmarked for independence campaigning.

It is known there have been complaints the ringfenced money could have been used improperly by being spent elsewhere.

Mr Murrell was later launched with out cost “pending further investigation”.

Opposition events stated Mr Yousaf’s revelation concerning the timing of the auditors’ resignation raised additional questions on who knew what about their funds.

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MSP Jackson Carlaw, who was chief of the Scottish Conservatives from 2019 to 2020, tweeted: “Why did they hide it from the membership and the public? All very grubby and murky from the Nats. No wonder auditors resigned.”

Mr Yousaf, who was solely elected chief simply over two weeks in the past, stated one of many social gathering’s “major priorities” was appointing new auditors “quickly”.

He stated the SNP hopes to nonetheless have its accounts ready in time to be submitted to the Electoral Commission in July, though he admitted it might be “problematic”.

An SNP spokesperson stated: “We have informed the Electoral Commission of the difficulty in identifying replacement auditors and the national treasurer has made the party’s finance and audit committee aware.”