PETER MURRELL has been married to Nicola Sturgeon since 2010, and is the chief executive of the Scottish National Party.
Here’s all you need to know about his career and his relationship with the outgoing First Minister of Scotland.
Who is Peter Murrell?
Nicola Sturgeon is married to Peter Murrell, 56, who is the chief executive of the Scottish National Party.
They met when Sturgeon was 18 at a Young Scottish Nationalists gathering in Aberdeenshire.
She revealed she had suffered a miscarriage in 2011 when she was 40, but kept it private to avoid being defined by the tragedy.
Sturgeon admitted in a book she does not know if she could have “had it all” – and led Scotland’s devolved government as a mum.
READ MORE ON NICOLA STURGEON
She said: “If the miscarriage hasn’t happened, would I be sitting here as First Minister right now?
“It’s unanswerable.”
Murrell has been CEO of the SNP since 1999.
He took over the position from Michael Russell.
Before taking the post he had worked in the Banff and Buchan constituency office of previous First Minister Alex Salmond – it’s through this role that he met Sturgeon.
When did he marry Nicola Sturgeon?
Murrell and Sturgeon began a relationship in 2003 and married in 2010. They have no children.
They married at a ceremony in Glasgow.
He’s previously come under scrutiny for his back-seat role in politics, which places him high up in the SNP’s pecking order.
Critics say that a husband and wife topping the party’s hierarchy is unfair.
When elected unopposed to become First Minister and the SNP’s leader in 2014, a defensive Sturgeon told the Scottish Herald: “I’ve been deputy leader for years while Peter’s been chief executive for 10 years.
“That’s not been an issue that’s given rise to any concern internally.
“In the constitution of the SNP, the oversight of the administrative side of the party lies with the business convener, not with the leader.
“So I’m comfortable there are no issues that arise.”
What does he do in his role as Chief Executive Officer of the SNP?
Although Murrell works in politics, his job is more of a backroom role – however this has been overshadowed by his marriage to one of the most high-profile politicians in the UK.
He has been described as “the most powerful SNP figure outside of the Holyrood and Westminster parliaments” by The Herald.
Murrell is in charge of the SNP’s HQ and heads day-to-day running of Scotland’s governing party.
He came under fire for the loss of 21 SNP’s seats in the 2017 General election, and also for his undisclosed salary, which has been estimated as totalling upwards of £100,000, The Scotsman reported.
