If rumours of missing £600k donations have substance then careers WILL come to an end

Nats leadership hopeful vows to open the party's books and change the route to independence

SNP leadership candidate Ash Regan has promised to open the party's books as police investigate claims of £600,000 of missing donations.

Regan complained of a lack of openness at SNP headquarters, run by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell, and insisted careers could come to an end over the donations controversy.

She also said it would be "madness" to continue Sturgeon's policy of asking the UK Government for an agreement on IndyRef2.

Regan, the MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, is up against Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and Finance Secretary Kate Forbes to replace Sturgeon.

In an interview with the Record, she addressed concerns about what has happened to £600,000 of donations raised for a second referendum.

Claims that the cash was diverted for other purposes are being investigated by detectives.

Regan, who resigned from Sturgeon's government last year over opposition to gender reform legislation, said: "There are a lot of rumours. I don't know if any of these rumours are substantive or not.

"If I become the leader, I'll be going in there and I'll be getting to the bottom of this.

"So if these rumours are false, we will be shutting that down.