Who is Peter Murrel? Nicola Sturgeon's husband arrested over SNP funding probe

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For almost a decade, Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon were the husband and wife team behind the SNP.

But now Mr Murrell is at the center of an SNP financial investigation and has been arrested by Police Scotland in connection with the ongoing investigation into party funding.

Police Scotland said a 58-year-old man was in custody and being questioned by detectives.

Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon led the SNP for two decades

Officers are also carrying out searches at a number of addresses as part of the investigation - including the couple's home in south Lanarkshire, which has been cordoned off.

Below, we take a look at Mr Murrell's career to date and how he and Ms Sturgeon have become key figures in the Scottish political landscape.

Who is Peter Murrell?

Mr. Murrell was born in Edinburgh in 1964 and attended Craigmount High School in the city before studying at the University of Glasgow.

He had been the party's chief executive since 1999, and was the man in charge day-to-day management of the SNP, which was at one time the second largest party in the UK.

This job meant that Mr Murrell was one of the most influential figures in Scottish politics , although he was never elected.

However, last month he announced that he was stepping down with immediate effect, amid a row over the number of party members and transparency. This comes nearly a quarter of a century after he succeeded Mike Russell, the current SNP chairman, as the party's chief executive.

Ms Sturgeon on her wedding day to her husband in 2010

Before that, Mr Murrell had worked in the constitution...