SNP appoints former council boss as interim chief executive

The SNP has appointed an interim chief executive, after Murray Foote stood down on Friday following 14 months in the role.

Carol Beattie, former chief executive of Stirling Council, will take over immediately until a permanent appointment is made.

In his resignation, Mr Foote said that he "could not make the necessary personal commitment" to leading a reorganisation of the party ahead of the 2026 Scottish parliament elections.

The UK general election in July saw the SNP lose 39 seats, leaving them with just nine MPs. Mr Foote, a former Daily Record editor, had replaced Peter Murrell, Nicola Sturgeon's husband, in the position just over a year ago.

He took over as the party grappled with controversy relating to alleged missing donations. It saw his predecessor charged with embezzlement, and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon questioned by police.

'Dominant political force'

Ms Beattie said the appointment was a "huge honour" and she looked forward to taking up her new position.

She said: “I look forward to meeting the team at the earliest opportunity and working with colleagues whose efforts have delivered the success of the SNP to date.

“I intend to waste no time in getting on with the important job of strengthening the party’s headquarters functions and supporting the party as a formidable national organisation.”

The decision was made at a meeting of the SNP's national executive committee and the party's deputy leader Keith Brown said he "warmly [welcomed] her to this role at a crucial time for our party."

He added: “She brings considerable experience to the role and her appointment will continue the work, under John Swinney’s leadership, to ensure a professional, modern, dynamic election-winning organisation.

“The SNP remains the dominant political force in Scotland - and Carol Beattie’s appointment will ensure we remain equipped for the tasks ahead.”

Ms Beattie stood down from her job at Stirling Council in May 2024 after six years, stating that she had taken up a new role in the private sector.

When she announced her resignation from the council, Ms Beattie said: "Sadly, the organisation I joined has suffered more than a decade of cuts to its budget, hampering the scope to be creative and forward thinking at a pace we would all desire.

"The regard for local government will surely have to return or we will see the societal consequences for years to come."

But she said she would "look back on my time in Stirling with great pride."

Ms Beattie was soon selected as the SNP's candidate in the Falkirk South council by-election, which she lost to Scottish Labour's Claire Aitken on Thursday night.