Does Nicola Sturgeon’s arrest mean it’s all over for the SNP?

Even before the current scandal, the SNP was running into difficulties on a wide variety of policy issues – but what effect will Sturgeon’s arrest have, asks Sean O’Grady

Humza Yousaf has an unhappy inheritance as the SNP’s third first minister (Getty)

Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested, released without charge, and her party is having to deal with the consequences. The former SNP leader, who stood down in March after eight years in power, has been questioned by officers who have been investigating, over the last two years, what happened to more than £600,000 of donations given to the party by independence activists.

What’s next?

Something, and it’s unlikely to be a bonus for the SNP. The party has obvious financial difficulties, and for as long as the police investigations and any legal proceedings drag on, they will distract the party and its ministers in the Scottish government.