Nicola Sturgeon denies rumors and says she will be married 'for a long time'

Nicola Sturgeon addressed rumors that her marriage to Peter Murrell could be in jeopardy in a podcast interview. Photo: Scott Heppell/AP

Nicola Sturgeon said she insisted she would stay married «for a long time» as she tries to quash rumors about her love life amid a police investigation.

The former First Minister suggested that her relationship with Peter Murrell, the former leader of the Scottish National Party, was not problematic, despite the fact that they were both arrested as part of the ongoing investigation into their party's finances.

Island House on The outskirts of Glasgow, where Ms Sturgeon lives with Mr Murrell, were raided in April, just over a week after she officially resigned as First Minister.

Mr Murrell was questioned detectives around 11am as her property was searched for two days before Ms Sturgeon was arrested in June.

Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell, along with Colin Beattie, the former party treasurer, were released without charge after their arrest.

Although Ms Sturgeon categorically denies wrongdoing, she has repeatedly refused to comment on whether she believes she in her own words. the husband, who has not publicly come forward with the charges, is also innocent.

Police Scotland officers stand outside a police tent outside Peter Murrell's home and Nicola Sturgeon Photo: Andrew Milligan/PA

There were rumors that their 13-year marriage could be in jeopardy, as Ms Sturgeon revealed in a podcast interview with Giles Brandreth, a TV presenter and former Conservative Party MP, which will air on Friday.

«We're still married and will be for a long time,» she said. These comments represent the strongest possible statement of support for Mr. Murrell.

On the only occasion she has previously spoken about her marriage since the arrests, in an interview with the Edinburgh Fringe in August, she said “no one should worry about that”.

In the latest interview, Ms Sturgeon also spoke about the miscarriage she had in 2010, when she was 40 years old. She first spoke about the loss of a child in 2016.

“There were times when I didn’t want children and other times I thought, yeah, that would be nice,” she said.

p> “Then there was a period when we decided that we had done it, but it didn’t happen.”

“Is this a regret? I wish I didn't have a miscarriage. I always thought it was a girl. I have no idea why, but I always described the child I lost as “she.” She would be a teenager now and would probably be causing me a lot of grief.»

Operation Branchform

The police investigation into the SNP's finances, known as Operation Branchform, continues.

Police have not yet sent their investigation to Scottish prosecutors, suggesting a decision on whether charges will be laid is not imminent any time soon.

In a speech to the Conservative conference, Alistair Jack, Scottish Secretary, said voters north of the border were “shocked by the investigation into the finances of the Scottish National Party.”

“Nationalists are doing their part to strengthen the Union,” he said. “They have eroded whatever authority they once had.

“It is therefore not surprising that people in Scotland are rightly outraged by the Scottish Government's blatant failure to deliver what matters most to them.”