MURRAY Foote has been named the new chief executive of the SNP.
The former Daily Record editor, known as the architect of the Vow, is to be brought in as the official replacement for Peter Murrell.
The SNP’s National Executive Committee was told the news on Wednesday afternoon.
Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Murrell resigned from the role after more than two decades amid a police investigation into the SNP's finances.
But it was Foote’s resignation as the head of communications and research for the SNP group at Holyrood that precipitated Murrell’s exit.
The former chief executive resigned after taking responsibility for giving incorrect membership numbers to the press – something over which Foote had also resigned.
Welcoming Foote to his new role, SNP business convener and MP Kirsten Oswald said: “Murray was an exceptional candidate in a strong field.
"His managerial experience and skills will enable him to hit the ground running in delivering for SNP members, including leading changes in governance and transparency in party headquarters."
Foote commented: “I am delighted to take up this important role and look forward to helping build the campaign for independence, both by strengthening the SNP's headquarter functions and supporting the party's formidable organisation across Scotland."
The SNP said in a press release announcing the appointment that it had come at "the conclusion of a rigorous, open recruitment process [which had] ... generated significant interest from a range of high-quality candidates".
The appointment comes amid a governance review into the SNP's management, which is expected to recommend some key changes to its internal functioning.
Foote (below) joined the SNP as the party's head of communications and research at Holyrood in February 2020 before resigning in March 2023.
The former Daily Record editor was known as the architect of "The Vow" ahead of the 2014 independence referendum.
Signed by Tory prime minister David Cameron, Labour’s Ed Miliband and LibDem Nick Clegg, it promised “extensive new powers” for Holyrood if Scots voted No.
Former first minister Alex Salmond credited it with swaying public opinion against independence, although pollsters say its influence has been over-rated.
Foote told The Herald in 2020: “I have always been sympathetic to the [Scottish independence] cause. Anybody who knows me knows."
Asked about the Vow, he said: “I had a job to do. My job was to represent the views of the readership of the Daily Record. That was what I did to the best of my ability, regardless of my political persuasion.”
In May, the SNP confirmed that Fraser MacDonald had replaced Foote as the head of communications and research for the SNP group at Holyrood.
