Nicola Sturgeon’s Message to Keir Starmer - Stop Making Nigel Farage the Next PM

Sep 13, 2025 | Nicola Sturgeon has a message for Keir Starmer. Stop legitimising Nigel Farage - or you’ll make him the next PM.

Scotland’s former first minister has done a lot of reflecting since she left office. In an extended interview we talk about her fractious relationship with Alex Salmond, her conclusions on her gender ID policy, the police investigation that saw a blue “murder tent“ erected in her garden, and whether she could have won Scottish independence if she’d led the campaign.

Nicola Sturgeon Says Part of Her 'Closed Down' after Her Arrest in Exclusive ITV News Interview

Aug 10, 2025 | You can watch 'Nicola Sturgeon - The Interview' in full at 7pm on Monday 11th on ITV1, ITVX and STV.

Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has described the day she was arrested as “horrific” and “the worst day of her life.”

In an exclusive interview with ITV News, ahead of the release of her memoir, Frankly, Sturgeon talks about the day of her arrest, telling Julie Etchingham, "I think a part of me just closed down."

In a wide-ranging and frank discussion, the former first minister also expressed regret in her handling of transgender legislation during her time in office, admitting she should have “paused” the legislation when the debate became polarised.

She writes in her book, “I have never considered sexuality, my own included, to be binary,” adding that she was “enjoying being her own person for a while”.

Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland's Former Leader Released Without Charge after Arrest - BBC News

Jun 11, 2023 | Scotland's former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been released without charge pending further investigations after being arrested by police on Sunday. Sturgeon was arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into Scottish National Party funding and finances. After being questioned by detectives the former first minister was released from custody on Sunday.

Related articles.

Nicola Sturgeon, ancienne première ministre écossaise, a passé sept heures en garde à vue dans le cadre d’une enquête sur le financement de son parti : Ce placement en garde à vue, qui a duré sept heures, fait suite à d’autres interpellations de dirigeants du SNP, le Parti national écossais. »

Nicola Sturgeon Arrested in SNP Finances Inquiry

THE GUARDIAN: Former Scottish first minister interviewed as part of Police Scotland inquiry into claims SNP misspent £600,000 of donations

Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested by police investigating allegations of financial misconduct by the Scottish National party.

Sturgeon, who quit as first minister and SNP leader in early April, is the third person to be arrested as part of Operation Branchform, the Police Scotland investigation into allegations that more than £600,000 in donations for an independence campaign was misspent by the party. » | Severin Carrell and Libby Brooks | Sunday, June 11, 2023

Schottlands frühere Regierungschefin Sturgeon festgenommen: Die ehemalige schottische Regierungschefin Nicolas Sturgeon wurde im Zusammenhang mit den laufenden Ermittlungen zur Finanzierung der Scottish National Party festgenommen. Bereits in der vergangenen Woche durchsuchten Beamte ihre Wohnung. »

‘Outright Democracy Denial’: Nicola Sturgeon Reacts to Supreme Court Ruling

Nov 23, 2022 | Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, reacts to the UK supreme court’s ruling Scotland may not hold a second independence referendum without Westminster approval. She says the Scottish government respects the law, but the mandate for a referendum is ‘undeniable’. Sturgeon insisted Scotland is not ‘abandoning’ the referendum route: ‘Westminster are simply blocking it’ Supreme court rules against Scottish parliament holding new independence referendum Supreme court ‘no’ leaves Sturgeon looking for solutions

Read the accompanying Guardian article here.

ALSO READ:

The Guardian view on Scotland and the constitution: a crisis is brewing: A supreme court ruling against Nicola Sturgeon’s referendum plans clarifies the challenge ahead for unionists »

Britische Richter verhindern ein zweites Unabhängigkeitsreferendum – und stürzen die schottischen Nationalisten ins Dilemma

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Gemäss dem britischen Supreme Court darf Schottland ohne Zustimmung Londons kein Unabhängigkeitsreferendum abhalten – selbst wenn dieses nur konsultativ wäre. Nun will Regionalpräsidentin Nicola Sturgeon die nächste Unterhauswahl zu einem «faktischen Referendum» umdeuten.

Rückschlag für die schottischen Nationalisten: Nach dem Entscheid des Supreme Court wird es vorerst kein erneutes schottisches Unabhängigkeitsreferendum geben. | Jeff J Mitchell / Getty
Die schottischen Nationalisten liessen ihrer Enttäuschung am Mittwoch freien Lauf. Demonstranten mit Spruchbändern und Flaggen versammelten sich in mehreren schottischen Städten und zogen in Scharen vor das Regionalparlament in Edinburg. Im Unterhaus in London beklagten die Abgeordneten der Scottish National Party (SNP), Schottland befinde sich in englischer «Geiselhaft». Und Regionalpräsidentin Nicola Sturgeon erklärte, die Idee des Vereinigten Königreichs als einer freiwilligen Partnerschaft von Nationen entspreche definitiv nicht mehr der Realität.

Grund für die Aufregung war ein Urteil des britischen Supreme Court vom Mittwoch. Die höchsten Richter befanden einstimmig, dass das schottische Regionalparlament keine verfassungsmässige Befugnis habe, ohne Zustimmung des britischen Parlaments ein Gesetz zur Abhaltung eines neuen Unabhängigkeitsreferendums zu beschliessen. » | Niklaus Nuspliger, London | Mittwoch, 23. November 2022

Nicola Sturgeon Calls for LGBTQ+ Solidarity during Qatar World Cup: ‘Stand Up for Dignity’

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the 2018 Pride Festival in Glasgow. (SNS Group via Getty/ Ross MacDonald)
PINK NEWS: Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for people “to stand in solidarity with the LGBT+ community” during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Sturgeon struck a markedly different tone to UK foreign secretary James Cleverly, who this week defended asking football fans travelling to the host nation, where homosexuality is illegal, to “compromise” with local laws.

During First Minister’s Questions in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday (17 November), Scottish Labour’s Paul O’Kane questioned Sturgeon about the Scottish Football Association sending officials to the event.

“What message does she think it sends particularly to LGBT+ people in Scotland,” the Evening Standard reported him asking.

Sturgeon said sending officials was a matter for the sporting body and that “governments should not intervene” in such decisions.

However, “it is a really important moment for” solidarity with LGBT+ people “regardless of party, regardless of anything else that might divide us”, Sturgeon said. » | Jake McKee | Friday, November 18, 2022

In Full: Nicola Sturgeon Says Economic Case for Independence Will Come Next Week

Nicola Sturgeon says independence isn't a "miracle cure" for Scotland's economy, but claimed the country "can do so much better than this".

Closing the SNP's annual party conference in Aberdeen, Scotland's first minister said the economic case for independence will be published next Monday as she doubled down on her push for another referendum on 19 October 2023.


Nicola Sturgeon tells SNP conference: ‘We are the independence generation’: First minister promises ‘steady hand on tiller’ while offering reassurance to those opposed to UK exit »

Great speech, Ms. Sturgeon! Scotland deserves its independence. Doesn't Wales deserve independence too? Westminster is a shambles under the Tories; it would be no better under Labour, either. Westminster no longer speaks for the Celtic fringe in this dis-United Kingdom. The English wanted to go it alone; so let them do so! We in the Celtic fringe want to re-join the European Union as independent nations. The Welsh will never have true prosperity being ruled by Westminster. Don’t we in the Celtic fringe deserve better? – © Mark Alexander

Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish Independence ‘Makes the Case for Optimism’

THE GUARDIAN: First minister uses SNP conference to promise steady hand compared with Westminster mayhem

Nicola Sturgeon giving her keynote speech on day three of the Scottish National party conference in Aberdeen. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Nicola Sturgeon has told the Scottish National party’s annual conference that independence makes the “case for optimism” in troubled times, and promised Scotland “a steady and compassionate hand on the tiller”.

The first minister spoke of the “massive responsibility of me and my government” to help Scots through the cost of living crisis, as she spoke to delegates in Aberdeen at the party’s first in-person conference since the pandemic.

Contrasting the UK government’s plans to “bundle [asylum seekers] on to planes like unwanted cargo”, Sturgeon emphasised Scotland’s international responsibility to stand with those in Iran, Afghanistan, Russian [sic], Belarus and Ukraine.

Sturgeon’s blunt assertion that she “detests” the Tories, made on the Laura Kuennsberg TV show on Sunday morning, attracted criticism from opponents and dominated Monday’s front pages, but she did not baulk at describing the tax cutting package announced by the UK government as “unconscionable”. » | Libby Brooks, Scotland correspondent | Monday, October 10, 2022

Professor Tim Wilson: Nicola Sturgeon and Liz Truss

Doesn’t matter how much she says it, there is no evidence that Liz truss is listening to anyone.

Nicola Sturgeon Says Decisions Taken by PM on UK Economy Have Been "Catastrophic"

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says the decisions taken by Liz Truss since she became Prime Minister have been "catastrophic" for the UK economy.

Truss Will Be a 'Disaster' If She Governs as She Campaigns, Sturgeon Says

Sep 4, 2022 Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she will "try" to have a good working relationship with Liz Truss, should she become prime minister, but warning she will be a "disaster" if she governs as she campaigned.

That's despite Ms Truss saying during the leadership campaign that Ms Sturgeon should be ignored.

She told Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "I will certainly do my best to build a constructive working relationship with her."

Nicola Sturgeon Calls Boris Johnson ‘Disgrace to Office of Prime Minister’

THE GUARDIAN: First minister of Scotland also jokes she never thought she would look back fondly on Theresa May as PM

Nicola Sturgeon, who has seen four Downing Street incumbents while in office, was speaking at the Edinburgh fringe on Saturday. Photograph: Euan Cherry/Getty Images
Nicola Sturgeon has said Boris Johnson is the only prime minister she has worked with who was “a disgrace to the office”.

Speaking at a panel event at the Edinburgh fringe on Saturday afternoon, hosted by broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika, she said: “I disagreed with David Cameron, I disagreed with Theresa May, I disagreed with Boris Johnson, but he’s the only one who’s actually disgraced the office of prime minister. The sooner he’s gone, the better.”

Sturgeon said the idea that parties were taking place during the Covid-19 pandemic “blew her mind”. “The idea that this could have happened while the rest of the country was going through the horrors of it really blows my mind,” she told audience members.

“Parties themselves are bad enough, but it was the lying, frankly, and the constant attempt to shift the goalposts and the narrative. He was a disgrace, let’s be honest.”

Four prime ministers have been in Downing Street since Sturgeon took office in 2014 and she joked to audience members she never thought she would “look back fondly” on Theresa May as prime minister. » | PA Media | Saturday, August 13, 2022

BoJo has not been only a disgrace to the office of prime minister, he has also been a joke. A sick joke. Liz Truss looks to be even worse. The Conservative Party is ailing. It should go the way of the Whigs: into oblivion! The whole party is a made up of fossils. Relics from a bygone age.

The best thing Nicola Sturgeon can do is convince her fellow countrymen that the time has come to secede from the United Kingdom. The Scots need independence. They need to rejoin the European Union in their own right, as an independent country. They should view that 500m+ market of consumers. The country cannot fail as an independent nation within the EU. Leave this sinking ship, once and for all time! Bonne chance ! – © Mark Alexander

Liz Truss Says She Would Ignore 'Attention Seeker' Nicola Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon says Liz Truss asked her ‘how to get into Vogue’: Scottish first minister said Truss ‘looked a little bit as if she’d swallowed a wasp’ when she told her she had been in Vogue twice »

Nicola Sturgeon Seeks Supreme Court Ruling on Scottish Independence Vote

THE GUARDIAN: First minister tells MSPs she wants to hold second independence referendum on 19 October 2023

Nicola Sturgeon gives a statement on independence referendum in the Scottish parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh on Tuesday. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images
Nicola Sturgeon has asked the supreme court to rule on whether the Scottish government can hold a non-binding referendum on independence, without having Boris Johnson’s permission to stage one.

The first minister said on Tuesday the lord advocate, Dorothy Bain QC, has written to the supreme court in London asking it to hold a hearing on whether the Scottish government has the legal powers to hold that vote.

She told MSPs her government wanted to stage a second independence referendum on 19 October 2023, using the same question put to voters in 2014: “Should Scotland be an independent country.”

In a statement at Holyrood, Sturgeon said that if the court ruled that that would not be a lawful use of her government’s resources or breached its constitutional powers, the Scottish National party would make independence its only policy at the next UK general election. » | Severin Carrell, Scotland editor | Tuesday, June 28, 2022


Schottische Regierung plant neues Unabhängigkeitsreferendum im Oktober 2023: Die schottische Regierungschefin Nicola Sturgeon will ihre Landsleute im Herbst des kommenden Jahres erneut darüber abstimmen lassen, ob Schottland ein unabhängiger Staat werden soll. … »

Gegen Recht und Gesetz

Zur Not ohne London: Nicola Sturgeon strebt ein zweites Unabhängigkeitsreferendum an | Bild: DPA
SCHOTTISCHES REFERENDUM
FRANFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Legal wäre es nicht, wenn die schottische Regionalregierung ohne Zustimmung Londons nochmal über eine Unabhängigkeit abstimmen ließe. Aber Boris Johnson nimmt es mit Recht und Gesetz auch nicht so genau.

Die Unabhängigkeitsbestrebungen in Schottland, seit einem Referendum im Jahre 2014 eigentlich für mindestens eine Generation zu den Akten gelegt, haben seit dem Brexit neuen Schwung gewonnen. In Schottland hatte eine deutliche Mehrheit gegen einen Austritt des Vereinigten Königreichs aus der EU gestimmt. Im Gesamtergebnis wurden die Schotten aber von Engländern und Walisern majorisiert. » | Ein Kommentar von Peter Sturm | Mittwoch, 15. Juni 2022

Lien assocée.

En Ecosse, la première ministre relance la campagne pour l’indépendance

LE MONDE : Malgré une première consultation où 55 % des électeurs avaient rejeté l’autodétermination en 2014 et le refus du gouvernement de Londres, Nicola Sturgeon souhaite organiser un nouveau référendum d’ici à 2023.

La première ministre écossaise relance la campagne pour l’indépendance, mardi 14 juin. RUSSELL CHEYNE / AFP
La première ministre écossaise, Nicola Sturgeon, a lancé, mardi 14 juin, une nouvelle campagne pour l’indépendance de l’Ecosse, en dévoilant le premier d’une série de livres blancs plaidant pour une rupture avec le Royaume-Uni. « Après tout ce qui est arrivé, le Brexit, le Covid-19, [le premier ministre britannique] Boris Johnson, il est temps de présenter une vision différente et meilleure », a déclaré Mme Sturgeon, lors d’une conférence de presse.

« Il est temps de parler d’indépendance », a ajouté la cheffe du parti indépendantiste SNP, estimant avoir « un mandat démocratique incontestable », en ce sens, après la victoire de sa formation aux élections locales en 2021. » | Le Monde avec AFP | mardi 14 juin 2022

Sturgeon: 'Shameful' UK Playing Politics with Brexit

May 17, 2022 • Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says it's "shameful" for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government to play politics with the Brexit deal. (May 17)

Scottish Election 2021: Nicola Sturgeon Celebrates 'Historic' SNP Election Win

Nicola Sturgeon has hailed the SNP's "historic and extraordinary" fourth consecutive victory in the Scottish Parliament election.

Nicola Sturgeon: Independence Best for Scotland Post-Brexit

Scotland's first minister urges supporters of Scottish independence to build and win the political case for it rather than rushing to hold a referendum.

Boris Johnson recently rejected Sturgeon’s request for the legal powers to hold a second referendum, but the Scottish National party leader said independence was the only way for the country to maintain its parliamentary sovereignty and connection to the EU Sturgeon calls for unity and focus in push for Scottish independence