Peter Murrell’s arrest comes at a moment of great peril for the SNP

Probe into Nicola Sturgeon’s husband could affect party’s finances, damage its new leader and cost it seats in the next general election

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The arrest of Peter Murrell, Nicola Sturgeon’s husband, in connection with a police investigation into the Scottish National party’s finances is likely to have a far-reaching effect on UK politics and possibly the next general election.

In the weeks since Sturgeon announced in mid-February that she was standing down as the SNP’s leader and as first minister, her party had already endured the most damaging period in its history during a deeply divisive campaign to elect her successor.