FORMER British ambassador Craig Murray is no longer a member of the SNP, according to the party.
Murray, a human rights campaigner who was the British ambassador to Uzbekistan during the early 2000s, is currently serving an eight-month prison sentence after being judged to have been in contempt of court over blogs written during Alex Salmond’s trial.
Lady Dorrian ruled that the pro-independence campaigner’s blogs featured details which, if pieced together, could have led readers to identify the women who made allegations against the former first minister.
Salmond was acquitted of all 13 charges, including sexual assault and attempted rape, in March last year.
READ MORE: Craig Murray supporters sing Auld Lang Syne as he prepares for jail sentence
Murray ran for the SNP president position last year, with one in four of the SNP members who voted backing him. The role was ultimately won by Michael Russell.
Murray wrote on Twitter last month that he hadn’t yet left the SNP upon joining Salmond’s new party Alba.
“I am waiting for the SNP to kick me out,” he said. “I don’t see the two as incompatible at this stage, personally.
“The SNP still take my membership fee every month, so as far as I am concerned I remain a member until they stop taking it.”
READ MORE: Alex Salmond trial: Craig Murray says he ‘will go to jail with clean conscience’
However, an SNP spokesperson told the Daily Record simply: “Craig Murray is not a party member.”
It was suggested that Murray no longer met the criteria for SNP membership when he became a candidate for Action for Independence.
He stood down when Salmond confirmed the launch of Alba, in order to give the party a “clear run”.
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