[317][318], At the beginning of Sturgeon's political career, she was often regarded as a "nippy sweetie", Scottish slang for the "sharp-tongued and strong-minded". [328][329] She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2014. [222][223], On the day the Supreme Court ruled the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to legislate a referendum on independence, Sturgeon announced the next democratic election in Scotland, in this case a UK general election expected to be held in 2024, would be campaigned by the SNP as a de facto referendum. "If she wants to show leadership on climate she must clearly say: stop Cambo. "[288][289][290] Commenting on the need for men to challenge their friends misogynistic behaviour, Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament in 2021: "I would say to all men in this chamber and all men across the country challenge it [misogyny] if its on the part of other men you may know, challenge your own behaviour and then lets collectively, as a society, turn the page and turn the corner so that women can live free of the fear of harassment, abuse, intimidation, violence and, in the worst cases, death. [267], Sturgeon had previously stripped Trump of his ambassadorial role for Scottish businesses with the Scottish Government in the aftermath of Trump's views of an outright ban of Muslims from entering the United States. She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999, first as an additional member for the Glasgow electoral region, and as the member for Glasgow Southside (formerly Glasgow Govan) from 2007. Both were subsequently elected, and as Salmond was still an MP in the British House of Commons, Sturgeon led the SNP in the Scottish Parliament as Leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2007. Nicola Sturgeon recently announced that she will soon step down as first minister of Scotland (Image: Jane Barlow/PA) And then there is the problem of Scotland's large structural fiscal deficit. [121] Sturgeon said it was "democratically unacceptable" that Scotland could be taken out of the EU "against its will".[122]. [161] Many had been infected with the virus and ended up passing it on to other care home residents. The SNP won 48 seats, and came second place in the 11 others; their 45% of the vote yielded 80% of the seats in Scotland. ", "IFS: Independent Scotland 'would face continued austerity' under Growth Commission proposals", "Is post-referendum Scotland a feminist paradise? "[165] Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament in July, "At no point within this crisis has Scotland run out of any aspect of PPE. The SNP said Sturgeon had returned around 27,000 worth of her salary back into the system to pay for services. NICOLA Sturgeon would be humiliated if she forced another divisive referendum on Scotland - as support for independence has plummeted and Scots would vote to stay in. "[98], Sturgeon began making appointments to her first cabinet on 21 November 2014, beginning with the appointment of finance secretary John Swinney to become her Deputy First Minister. [citation needed], Sturgeon attended Dreghorn Primary School from 1975 to 1982 and Greenwood Academy from 1982 to 1988. Scotland would then have to reapply for EU membership and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso predicted this would be "extremely difficult, if not impossible". ", "Polls "confirm Nicola Sturgeon TV debate success", "SNP could hold independence referendum if it wins in 2016", "Sturgeon: Second referendum 'if and when Scotland wants it', "Nicola Sturgeon launches 'ambitious and reforming' SNP manifesto", "Nicola Sturgeon plays down chance of snap second vote on independence", "SNP manifesto launch: Sturgeon makes personal plea to voters", "Nicola Sturgeon: 'When' rather than 'if' for second independence referendum", "Nicola Sturgeon claims 'historic victory' in Scottish vote", "VIDEO: Nicola Sturgeon ready to lead minority government after SNP election win", "New MSPs to arrive at Holyrood for first day", "Nicola Sturgeon wins Scottish first minister vote", "Scotland Seeks Independence Again After U.K. 'Brexit' Vote", "Scotland Says New Vote on Independence Is 'Highly Likely', "Scots' backing for Remain raises threat of union's demise", "Second Scotland Referendum 'Highly Likely', "Nicola Sturgeon says second Scottish referendum 'highly likely' as it happened", "Sturgeon to lobby EU members to support Scotland's bid to remain", "Sturgeon to seek EU talks to 'protect' Scotland's membership", "Nicola Sturgeon says independence vote would be proposed 'if best or only way to protect EU place', "EU referendum: The 'stark difference' between Wales and Scotland", "Scottish parliament votes for second independence referendum", "Nicola Sturgeon writes letter to Theresa May requesting second Scottish independence referendum", "Theresa May: 'Now is not the time' for indyref2", "Voters want a break, says Nicola Sturgeon as she postpones IndyRef2", "Nicola Sturgeon Says The General Election Could "Reinforce" Her Plans For IndyRef2", "Sturgeon: Indyref2 'factor' in SNP losses", "Is Scotland on the cusp of a Tory resurgence? [63] In June 2012, the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 was passed after receiving support from the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Greens. [306] Following Johnson's appointment as British prime minister, she claimed he "rambled" in his first speech outside 10 Downing Street and suggested he was "blame shifting". "[250], In July 2022 the figures for 2021 were released, revealing that 1,330 had died - nine fewer than in 2020. Now, with Sturgeon insisting she wasn't leaving politics and would serve out the rest of the parliamentary term on the back benches, she . Nicola Sturgeon (SNP Leader) 21 Ayr United Supporter 14. Nicola Sturgeon leaves after a press conference Wednesday at Bute House, where she announced she will stand down as irst minister of Scotland. [132] Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, all plans for another referendum were put on hold. The SNP emerged as the largest party following the 2007 election and Salmond headed the first SNP minority government, with Sturgeon as his Deputy First Minster. Across Scotland, 62% of voters backed the UK remaining a member of the EU, with 38% voting for the UK to leave. [182][183], Sturgeon was nominated for the post of First Minister by a vote of the Scottish Parliament on 18 May, defeating Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie by 64 votes to 31 and 4 respectively. [15] Sturgeon was a fan of Wham! [70] Sturgeon was one of the white paper's most high-profile media champions and frequently debated its contents with opposition politicians and sceptical Scots. NICOLA STURGEON has confirmed most of Scotland's lower league clubs will finally be able to play competitive football again. [205][206][204] Key documentation, which might have explained why ministers signed the contracts without appropriate safeguards to protect taxpayers' money, was lost and Sturgeon later said this too was "regrettable" and that "the Government will learn lessons. The up side is that Peter understands what's going on and why I am late home all the time. [41] Sturgeon led coalition negotiation talks between the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Greens, but these talks failed to reach an agreement, with the Lib Dems backing out and the Greens instead supporting a 'confidence and supply' agreement. Nicola Sturgeon didn't force Celtic to continue with their plans despite literally every other major club in Britain deciding it was inappropriate to travel abroad. [47] She reversed the decision to close casualty units at University Hospital Ayr and University Hospital Monklands. [128], Prior to the day the Prime Minister triggered Article 50, formally allowing the process of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, the Scottish Parliament voted 69 to 59 in favour of another independence referendum. [119][120] Sturgeon claimed that it was "clear that the people of Scotland see their future as part of the European Union" and that Scotland had "spoken decisively" with a "strong, unequivocal" vote to remain in the European Union. "[254], In 2021, Audit Scotland concluded that, "Progress on closing the poverty-related attainment gap between the most and least deprived school pupils has been limited"[255] and fell short of the Government's aims. She insisted her resignation was not as result of "short term pressures", such as the ferry fiasco, the gender recognition reform bill, transgender prisoners, or the police fraud inquiry into SNP finances, but stated that the job "takes its toll on you". [172][173], At a session of First Minister's Questions in June 2021, Sturgeon was asked about mistakes made early on in the pandemic and she replied: "If I could turn the clock back, would we go into lockdown earlier than we did? On 15 February 2023, Sturgeon announced that she would resign as first minister and SNP leader once a new leader is elected. Kate Forbes . [25] Although she failed to win the seat, she was placed first in the SNP's regional list for the Glasgow region, and was thus elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament. Sturgeon oversaw the scrapping of prescription charges and was widely recognised for her handling of the 2009 swine flu pandemic. [14], Sturgeon was a quiet child and has been described by her younger sister as "the sensible one" of the two. [138][139], In January 2019, Sturgeon referred herself to an independent ministerial ethics body, which led to an investigation into her actions with respect to a sexual harassment case concerning allegations against Salmond. Michael Matheson was promoted asjustice secretary. It is a scar on the conscience of this Scottish Government. Sturgeon confirmed in June 2016 that the Scottish government had formally agreed to draft legislation to allow a second independence referendum to take place. The SNP continued to enjoy this electoral success throughout Sturgeon's eight years in office. [84] During the speech launching her campaign, Sturgeon announced that she would resign as Depute Leader, triggering a concurrent depute leadership election; the MSPs Angela Constance and Keith Brown and the MP Stewart Hosie all nominated themselves to succeed Sturgeon as Depute Leader. [156] On 23 March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Sturgeon ordered Scotland into "lockdown", limiting the reasons why people may leave their homes in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus, to protect the health of the population, and to ease the pressure the virus placed on NHS Scotland services and workforce. Acknowledging this, Sturgeon suggested: "That is why the SNP have urged a policy for many months that we believe can provide people with the necessary reassurance, by providing a statutory underpinning to the guidelines, and resolve this difficult debate. "We have seen a rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases in Scotland over the past 10 days," she told Parliament. [268], In May 2022, Sturgeon made a trip to the United States and met with controversial Republican member of Congress Robert Aderholt, a prominent anti-abortion supporter. [214] This plan has been met with condemnation from various opposing parties, with the Prime Minister rejecting her plan. The victims of drugs and their families were failed. [134] It was the best result for the Scottish Conservatives since Margaret Thatcher and the party's campaign slogan, "We said No to independence. nicola sturgeon nicknamesNitro Acoustic. The worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 began during Sturgeon's second term as First Minister. One particular problem it highlighted was that not enough had been done to ensure Scottish hospitals and care homes had enough personal protective equipment. It was reported that Salmond had privately supported Sturgeon in her leadership bid, but decided to run for the position himself as it became apparent she was unlikely to beat Cunningham. The SNP are firmly entrenched as Scotland's natural party of government and Sturgeon is a formidable . [1][2] She is the longest-serving first minister of Scotland. [145], On 4 March 2021, Sturgeon answered questions over a period of eight hours from members of the committee. Her second term was dominated by the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum, when the UK voted to leave the European Union, in spite of 62% of votes in Scotland backing remaining in the EU. [144] Opposition parties criticised Sturgeon on disparity and contradictions between the narratives of Murrell and herself. Alone in her office, carefully socially-distanced, Nicola Sturgeon experienced every emotion from pride to despair as she watched Steve. [88], At a speech in Dundee's Caird Hall on 7 November, Sturgeon pledged to be "the most accessible First Minister ever" when she took over. This also made her First Minister-Designate, given the SNP's absolute majority in the Scottish Parliament. One condom does not resolve it, but is perhaps a reminder that avoiding an . Jim Justice said as he signed the bill, surrounded by more than two dozen state lawmakers, members of the National Rifle Association, and the West Virginia Citizens Defense League. The down side is that you just end up talking about it all the time and you never leave it outside. "[54] The following day, she confirmed that these were cases of the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus. Aged 21, Sturgeon was selected as the SNP candidate in the Glasgow Shettleston constituency. When the British Government turned down the Scottish Government's idea of a formal currency union - on the grounds that the rationale for sharing a currency with a foreign country was "not clear" - Sturgeon accused Westminster of trying to "bully Scotland" and said it would "cost their own businesses hundreds of millions in transaction costs". Thousands of fans have flouted the coronavirus lockdown. [167], In February 2021 Audit Scotland published a report that concluded the Scottish Government had not prepared adequately for a pandemic. ", "Rise of Nicola Sturgeon: from 'nippy sweetie' to SNP leader? 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