Ex SNP boss Murray Foote said he was like Basil Fawlty when joining the party

SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: Murray Foote said joining the SNP was like Basil Fawlty's 'don't mention the war' sketch in Fawlty Towers

The newly departed SNP CEO compared himself to Basil Fawlty at a meeting of senior SNP members yesterday.

Murray Foote said joining the party after his role as a newspaper editor was similar to hapless hotelier Basil Fawlty trying not to mention the war while serving German customers in the BBC comedy.

At the National Executive Committee meeting Foote, who announced he was quitting on Friday, said he was thankful for the welcome he’d received despite being responsible for the Daily Record’s ‘The Vow’ front page.

The September 2014 article reported promises of more powers for Scotland from then Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour leader Ed Miliband and deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

A source said: “Murray didn’t speak for long but he did say when he started it was like Basil Fawlty’s ‘don’t mention the war’ sketch in Fawlty Towers.

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“He and John Swinney both stressed his decision to leave was purely personal. They didn’t give any more context or reason for it and questions about it weren’t really answered.”

Foote had been CEO for just 14 months after having to quit as the party’s parliamentary communications chief after branding the Sunday Mail’s story about the SNP’s falling membership figures as “drivel” in March 2023.

At the meeting, former Stirling Council chief executive Carol Beattie was announced as his temporary replacement.

Beattie had resigned from the authority in May stating she was moving to a role in the private sector. But she was then announced as the SNP’s candidate for the Falkirk South by-election which she lost to Labour last week.

During the campaign she was forced to apologise after making disparaging comments on social media about the Royal family.

She stated that “intelligent people don’t support the monarchy” and those who did “use them as symbols of their bigotry or xenophobic values”.

On taking up the temporary SNP chief role, Beattie said: “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.”

Foote said he was not commenting on his departure when contacted by the Sunday Mail.

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