THE SNP’s auditors are “confident” they will file the accounts of the party’s Westminster group in time to ensure they do not lose out on £1.2 million of parliamentary funding, Humza Yousaf has said.
The party signed a contract with new auditors at the beginning of May – more than six months after the previous firm quit.
The Westminster group’s accounts must be filed by the end of the month or the party risks losing out on so-called Short money – public funds paid to opposition parties at Westminster to support their parliamentary work.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the First Minister said: “We had a conversation with [the auditors] as a party and certainly the last conversation we had with the auditors, they were confident in meeting that deadline.”
Asked why the party can be trusted given the ongoing investigation into SNP finances, he said: “I made clear the day that I came in to this position that we will have a governance and transparency review – that’s very much under way.”
Yousaf also said his party, which he said has around 75,000 members, “relies on grassroots membership” to raise funds, adding: “No doubt our membership will dig deep.”
The First Minister added that the party would “without a doubt” have the necessary funds for a General Election campaign.
Nicola Sturgeon warrant
Yousaf also said he does not believe there would be any reason “out of the ordinary” for a delay in a warrant for the search of Nicola Sturgeon’s home and the party’s headquarters being green-lit.
It was reported by The Scottish Sun on Monday the request for a warrant was made to the Crown Office on March 20, but that it took two weeks to be sent to a sheriff.
Yousaf said: “I don’t believe there will be any particular reason out of the ordinary that it would take that time.”
He added: “I suppose that would be a question for the Crown, not questions for governments or ministers or the First Minister – we would never dream of interfering, neither in a live police investigation, but certainly not in a search warrant.”
