An SNP politician has accused the police and media of colluding over the investigation into the SNP’s finances and said the police search of Nicola Sturgeon’s home made it look like “Fred West’s house”.

James Dornan also questioned the evidence behind the three arrests made as part of the ongoing probe.

The MSP for Glasgow Cathcart made the comments during an episode of The News Agents podcast.

Officers outside the home of Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell in April

Mr Dornan said: “The fact that the police and the media seem to have some kind of collusion about making sure the media are in attendance when the slightest thing happens – it’s like Fred West’s house when they come to look for a paper trail.”

Asked if he didn’t think the arrests had caused the SNP harm, Mr Dornan said: “Of course it’s causing them harm, but what I’m saying is, where does the information, where does the evidence come that leads us to a point that those three should be arrested in the first place?”

The SNP was thrown into further disarray at the weekend with the arrest of Nicola Sturgeon, who was questioned for more than seven hours on Sunday before being released without charge.

The former first minister is the third senior party figure to be arrested and released without charge as part of the ongoing probe, after her husband Peter Murrell, the SNP’s former chief executive, and Colin Beattie, the former party treasurer.

In a bullish statement, Ms Sturgeon insisted she was innocent of any wrongdoing.

Journalists were alerted to all three arrests through statements released by the police on social media.

The police investigation was launched in July 2021 after questions were raised about how more than £600,000 of donations for a second independence referendum campaign had been used.

Sir Iain Livingstone, the Chief Constable of Police Scotland, previously stressed a “diligent, thorough and proportionate criminal inquiry is being conducted with integrity”.

He said: “I would request, I would urge, all civic leaders – if offering any comment or thoughts on what is a live investigation, to act with prudence and responsibility.

"Wholly inaccurate assertions and uninformed speculation will only serve to damage justice, infringe the rights of individuals and undermine the rule of law.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Any suggestion that the media were informed in advance of an arrest is untrue.”

SNP MSP accuses police and media of colluding over investigation into party finances