A disgraced former ambassador and ex-Dundee University rector who is serving an eight-month sentence over blog posts about the Alex Salmond trial is now out of the SNP.
The party confirmed Craig Murray is “not a member”, weeks after he appeared to taunt the SNP about his position on social media.
Murray drank champagne outside a police station where he handed himself in to begin his sentence at the start of August.
A former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, he was jailed after being found in contempt of court earlier this year.
He had joined the SNP, and previously stood for selection as a candidate, but signed up to Mr Salmond’s splinter Alba Party before the Holyrood election.
On his Twitter account last month, he claimed: “I haven’t actually left the SNP on joining Alba, I am waiting for the SNP to kick me out.
“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.”
Asked if he was still a member this morning, an SNP spokesman confirmed: “Craig Murray is not a member of the SNP.”
A member from one SNP branch in Edinburgh told us: “It was embarrassing that Craig Murray was able to flaunt his membership months after he declared support for Alex Salmond’s Alba party.
“He was still appearing on membership lists so I’m glad to hear this has been sorted out by HQ.”
Another SNP member told us a complaint had been sent to party headquarters about Murray’s status but he got no reply.
‘Jigsaw identification’
Murray was taken to court because of online accounts he wrote during the trial of former first minister Alex Salmond.
The court held the blog posts contained details that could lead readers to identify women who made allegations against Mr Salmond, who was acquitted of all 13 charges including sexual assault and attempted rape in March last year.
Sentencing Murray, 62, in May, Lady Dorrian said he knew there were court orders giving the women anonymity and he was “relishing” the potential disclosure of their identities.
Lady Dorrian said Murray deliberately risked what is known as “jigsaw identification”.
The senior judge said: “It appears from the posts and articles that he was in fact relishing the task he set himself, which was essentially to allow the identities of complainers to be discerned – which he thought was in the public interest – in a way which did not attract sanction.”
After the Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal, Murray was ordered to turn himself in to begin his prison sentence.
Joined by his wife and supporters outside St Leonard’s Police Station in Edinburgh, Murray made a toast with what appeared to be a bottle of champagne.