[297][298], In the 2021 SNP manifesto, Sturgeon committed the party once again to reform the Gender Recognition Act[233] and in August that year included the commitment in her agreement with the Scottish Greens on power-sharing. [157][158][159] Subsequently the restrictions were repeatedly tightened, loosened and adapted in parts or all of Scotland in response to developments in the situation. Yes, I think that is true. Nicola was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, on July 9, 1970. Sturgeon will remain in office until a successor is chosen. Affiliated with the Scottish National Party, she took office in 2007 as Deputy First Minister of Scotland. ", "BBC NEWS | Election 2007 | Scottish Parliament | Election Result: Glasgow Govan", "Salmond prepares for SNP minority government", "Better Health, Better Care: Action Plan", "Sturgeon to reverse A&E closure decision", "Scottish government confirms plans to scrap prescription charges", "Prescription charges abolished in Scotland", "Swine influenza Health Protection Agency update", "WHO | World now at the start of 2009 influenza pandemic", "UK plays down swine flu pandemic implications", "Scottish death marks Europe's first H1N1 fatality", "Scottish minimum alcohol pricing passed by parliament", "Scottish cabinet reshuffle: Nicola Sturgeon given new independence role", "High-speed rail plan for Glasgow to Edinburgh line", "High speed Glasgow-Edinburgh rail link plans 'shelved', "Scottish independence would allow economy to grow, says Sturgeon", "Nicola Sturgeon interview: 'I do believe Scotland can be better off', "Scottish independence: Referendum White Paper unveiled", "Independence referendum: Nicola Sturgeon accuses Westminister of bullying over currency", "Scottish minister Nicola Sturgeon hits back over sterling threat", "Scottish independence: Barroso says joining EU would be 'difficult', "Sturgeon warns Europeans could lose right to stay", "UK minister: Sturgeon used EU nationals as bargaining chips", "Scottish independence referendum: final results in full", "Scottish referendum results: As Alex Salmond steps down, Nicola Sturgeon waits for her chance to lead", "Alex Salmond Resigns: Will SNP Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Replace Him? On 15 February 2023, Sturgeon announced her intention to resign the leadership of the SNP and as First Minister. 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. [219] She proposed the Scottish Government would use the pound sterling for a brief period before transitioning to a new currency known as the 'Scottish Pound'. She said that there were different reasons for much of the criticism of Rangers fans in George Square citing "anti-catholic abuse". After Salmond had told Tory MP Anna Soubry, "Behave yourself, woman" in 2015, Sturgeon said: "The fundamental question, 'does that language indicate that Alex Salmond is sexist?' [217][218], In October 2022, Sturgeon launched her government's third independence paper, which outlines the currency in an independent Scotland and joining the EU. No. Labour refused to support the bill as they claimed it failed to tackle windfall profit from alcohol retailers. [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. "[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. Nicola Sturgeon blasted Rangers revellers for their anti-Catholic rampage Credit: Reuters. [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. In 2015, Sturgeon was questioned as, and in some cases branded as, the 'most dangerous woman in Britain'. [220][221] She argued independence would be "essential" for economic prosperity for Scotland as she claimed the economic climate throughout the UK does not offer strength, stability or security. The Catholicism of the Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy has attracted some attention this week against a backdrop of fascinating political developments in Scotland. [110] She set out the party's plans to increase income tax by freezing tax thresholds, reversing her previous policy of cutting taxes for higher earners. She departs leaving both TERF Island and her successor holding two sweating sticks of constitutional dynamite. Bryson was sent to a women's prison before being moved to a men's prison. One particular problem it highlighted was that not enough had been done to ensure Scottish hospitals and care homes had enough personal protective equipment. [6][7] She is the eldest of two daughters born to Joan Kerr Sturgeon (ne Ferguson, born 23 October 1952[8]), a dental nurse, and Robin Sturgeon (born 28 September 1948[9]), an electrician. "[252], In 2015, Sturgeon said that she planned to make education her "defining priority" while in office. The event has been described as being like the birth of a megachurch rather than a conventional political rally, in which new members were inducted into the political faith. She is the first woman to hold either position. The investigating panel consisted of Dame Elish Angiolini, a former Solicitor General for Scotland and lord advocate, and James Hamilton, a former director of public prosecutions in the Republic of Ireland. [96][97] During her first First Minister's Questions after being sworn in, Sturgeon tried to strike a conciliatory tone, saying that she came into her new post "with an open mind and a willingness to hear proposals from all sides of the chamber. Nicola Sturgeon is to stand down as Scotland 's First Minister after eight years in the role, according to reports.N The Scottish National Party leader is expected to make the announcement at a hastily-arranged news conference in Edinburgh. We believe in the free flow of. Their neighbourhoods are shared with people who adhere to a Protestant culture, but they are less likely to have been at the crest of the SNP wave. [299], At the SNP's 2022 annual party conference in Aberdeen, Sturgeon stated "I detest the Tories and everything they stand for" in an interview on the BBC. ", "Missed funerals and helicopter transfers as ferries misery grows", "Ferries fiasco blamed on 'significant operational failures', "400m estimate for ferries as expert demands public inquiry", "Nicola Sturgeon: Buck stops with me over ferry contract row", "Official Report: First Minister's Question Time", "Sturgeon defends ferries contract decision", "Yesterday, Keith Brown was quizzed on the Ferguson Marine ferry deal- telling @C4Ciaran "that document, the one that signed it off, if it ever existed, is not now available", "Permanent secretary demands 'rigorous' record-keeping after ferries missing document", "Jack McConnell claims SNP may have 'broken law' over missing ferry paperwork", "Scotland's leader starts a campaign for a new independence vote", "Nicola Sturgeon unveils case for Scottish independence", "Sturgeon plans to hold second Scottish independence referendum in October 2023", "Sturgeon plots alternative route to Scottish independence vote next year", "Boris Johnson Rejects Nicola Sturgeon's Call For A Second Independence Referendum", "Scotland announces plan for independence vote in October 2023", "Nicola Sturgeon takes Indyref2 to Supreme Court as Scotland will 'not be prisoner of Boris Johnson', "Scottish independence: 19 October 2023 proposed as date for referendum", "Nicola Sturgeon launches third independence paper: full speech", "Nicola Sturgeon promises new 'Scottish pound' and no passports to visit England - as she lays out economic plan for independence", "Scottish pound: Independent Scotland would introduce new currency", "First Minister: Independence "essential" to Scotland's prosperity", "Independence will rid Scotland of UK economic chaos, says Nicola Sturgeon", "Supreme court rules against Scottish parliament holding new independence referendum", "SNP will treat next UK general election as 'de facto referendum', Sturgeon says", "We'll find another way to Scottish independence - Nicola Sturgeon", "Scottish opposition parties reject SNP's plan to treat election as referendum", "Angus MacNeil: Why we should hold a Holyrood election as a vote on independence", "Nicola Sturgeon makes gender recognition pledge", "SNP civil war deepens as leading Sturgeon critic Joanna Cherry purged from Westminster team", "Scottish transgender reforms put on hold", "Transgender reforms shelved due to coronavirus pandemic", "Trans rights: How gender recognition reform became one of Scotland's most heated debates", "Nicola Sturgeon facing backlash over proposed gender legislation", "Nicola Sturgeon dismisses concerns over gender reforms as 'not valid', "Nicola Sturgeon says gender reform row will go to court", Nicola Sturgeon's gender conundrum: Is Isla Bryson a man or a woman, "Nicola Sturgeon says time is right to resign as Scotland's first minister", "Nicola Sturgeon resigns as First Minister after eight years at top of Scottish politics", "Nicola Sturgeon resigns: Indyref2 is in a perilous position with no clear successor for first minister", "Health boards told to fill 15 million cut in funding for drug and alcohol care", "Proposed cuts on funding for drug and alcohol rehabilitation in Scotland", "Drug deaths in Scotland rose by 23% in 2016", "Scotland's drug deaths rise to new record", "Sturgeon: We took our eye off the ball on drug deaths", "Deaths among homeless people in Scotland up 10%", "Drug deaths in Scotland reach new record level", "Scotland: Drug deaths hit record level for seventh year in a row here's what the data shows", "Nicola Sturgeon accused of ignoring drug deaths epidemic in Scotland", "Scottish government under pressure as drug deaths fell by just nine in 2021", "Drug deaths in Scotland fall by one per cent but are still second highest ever recorded", "Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish education 'not good enough', "Nicola Sturgeon: Judge me on education record", "Attainment gap remains wide and better education data needed | Audit Scotland", "School attainment gap 'remains wide', watchdog warns", "Schulz empfngt Schottin Sturgeon zu Gesprch ber Brexit-Folgen", "Nicola Sturgeon says 'difficult' Theresa May will struggle with Brexit talks", "Nicola Sturgeon calls for united front to protect devolution", "Nicola Sturgeon breaks convention to back Hillary Clinton in Presidential race", "Sturgeon 'will not be silent' over Trump", "Nicola Sturgeon congratulates Donald Trump on inauguration", "Nicola Sturgeon 'let women down' by posing with anti-abortion politician", "Taking Back the House, Vol. Issuing apologies now is too late for thousands of people. Furthermore, they concluded that the Scottish Government had awarded the contracts without normal financial safeguards and presided over a "multitude of failings". Sturgeon became a high-profile figure in Scottish politics and often clashed with First Minister Jack McConnell at First Minister's Questions. [189], The announcement was welcomed by the Scottish Green party but Greenpeace criticised Sturgeon for not coming out more strongly against the oil field. They announced their engagement on 29 January 2010,[332] and were married on 16 July 2010 at ran Mr in Glasgow. In line with Government guidance, she completed a self-isolation period.[339]. Many of these Catholic SNP converts were likely to have been among the 12,000 people who packed the Hydro arena in Glasgow on November 22. ", "Rise of Nicola Sturgeon: from 'nippy sweetie' to SNP leader? Scotlands Catholic community, to which I belong, has often felt itself to be a perennial underdog at the hands of a frosty establishment. I owe the Daily Mail big time for that', "Most dangerous woman in Britain or Queen of Scotland? Following the SNP's landslide majority in 2011, she was appointed as the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Capital Investment and Cities, which saw her in charge of the legislative process for the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. There have been questions going around saying is Nicola Sturgeon lesbian. Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has said her government is an "unequivocal supporter" of Catholic schools. We believe that the value of marriage should be clearly referred to in the guidelines, without denigrating other relationships or children brought up in other kinds of relationship." According to one poll, just 31% of non Catholics backed independence compared with no less than 57% of Catholics. It is absolutely crushing. [160], During the early stages of the pandemic 1,300 elderly hospital patients were transferred into care homes without receiving a negative coronavirus test result. Fiona Hyslop and Richard Lochhead remained in their portfolios of culture secretary and rural affairs secretary, respectively. [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. [76] Following the defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign, Salmond announced his resignation as First Minister and Leader of the SNP. [271] The Government of Spain criticised Sturgeon, claiming she had "totally misunderstood" the situation in Spain and Catalonia. [citation needed] She later studied law at the University of Glasgow School of Law, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) in 1992 and a Diploma in Legal Practice the following year. [105] Sturgeon had stated that the party's success in the election was not a mandate for another independence referendum, but primarily for a stronger voice for Scotland in London. She joined the SNP following an assumption by her English teacher, who was a Labour councillor, she would be a Labour supporter. 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. At the time, Queen's Counsel under the reign of Elizabeth II, now King's Counsel under the reign of Charles III. However, in 2016 the plan was abandoned and the Scottish Government blamed Westminster. [274] On the day Queen Elizabeth II became Britain's longest reigning monarch, Sturgeon travelled with her to open the Borders Railway and told a crowd of well-wishers: "She [The Queen] has carried out Her duties with dedication, wisdom and an exemplary sense of public service. The impending departure of Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's longest-serving first minister, who said on Wednesday that she would step down, has roiled the nation's political establishment. ", "IFS: Independent Scotland 'would face continued austerity' under Growth Commission proposals", "Is post-referendum Scotland a feminist paradise? In response to the UK-wide vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, the Scottish Government, headed by Sturgeon, launched the Scotland's Place in Europe document, a white paper setting out the Scottish Government's aims and wishes of Scotland's role in Europe post-Brexit. The recent controversy, however, involving Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's deputy first minister, the BBC and Ireland's Europea minister Lucinda Creighton should be a warning to the SNP government at . [134] It was the best result for the Scottish Conservatives since Margaret Thatcher and the party's campaign slogan, "We said No to independence. Quite A Scoop! [21].mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. Nicola Sturgeon, (born July 19, 1970, Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland), first minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party (2014- ), Scotland's fifth leaderand first woman leadersince the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and government in 1999. "The First Minister must stop hiding behind Boris Johnson," a spokesperson for the organisation said. Across Scotland, 62% of voters backed the UK remaining a member of the EU, with 38% voting for the UK to leave. In Alex Salmond's shadow cabinet, she served as Shadow Minister for Children and Education from 1999 to 2000. Responding to a question by Labour MSP James Kelly, the First . [102], Sturgeon's cabinet was 50/50 gender balance, with five men and five women, including herself. [236], In 2023, Sturgeon was criticised in connection with the Isla Bryson case, in which a transgender woman who had raped two women when named Adam Graham began self-identifying as a woman after being charged. [174][175] The following week Sturgeon received an official reprimand from Police Scotland after a video emerged of her campaigning in a barber shop without a mask. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [1][2] She is the longest-serving first minister of Scotland. [81], On 24 September 2014, Sturgeon officially launched her campaign bid to succeed Salmond as Leader of the Scottish National Party at the November leadership election. [287] However, she defended her party's leader Alex Salmond from accusations of sexism. [168][169], In March 2021, the Court of Session declared that the Scottish Government's prohibition on communal worship, imposed during the pandemic, was unlawful. [87] On this date, Sturgeon also came out on top in a trust rating opinion poll, conducted for the SNP, which indicated that 54% of the Scottish population trusted her to "stand up for Scotland's interests". However, infighting between the two rival candidates for the Labour nomination, Mohammed Sarwar and Mike Watson, along with an energetic local campaign,[citation needed] resulted in Glasgow Govan being the only Scottish seat to see a swing away from Labour in the midst of a Labour landslide nationwide. The First Minister responded to questions from Douglas Ross, following a report in the Times that Scotland would have to join the euro if it wished to be a member of the European Union. From her family background, we can say that Nicola is Christian. [226][227] Some SNP members have urged Sturgeon to call an early election at Holyrood to speed up the process for a de facto referendum. [103], Sturgeon led the Scottish National Party through a landslide victory in the 2015 UK general election, winning 56 out of 59 Scottish seats at Westminster, the party's best ever performance. [14], Sturgeon was a quiet child and has been described by her younger sister as "the sensible one" of the two. He has been my friend, mentor and colleague for more than 20 years. She opposed the decision made and criticised Scottish Secretary Alister Jack for blocking the bill and said that the decision was an attack on the Scottish Parliament and Scottish democracy as a whole and said that the matter would be brought to the courts. [3][4] She entered office amid a rapid surge in membership of the SNP and this was reflected in the party's performance in the 2015 general election, when it ended Labour's thirty year electoral dominance of Scottish Westminster seats, as it won 56 of the 59 seats and replaced the Liberal Democrats as the third-largest party in the British House of Commons. [302][303][304][305], Sturgeon has been highly critical towards the leadership of Boris Johnson's government. [246] Per head, Scotland's death rate among the homeless is the highest in Britain. [167], In February 2021 Audit Scotland published a report that concluded the Scottish Government had not prepared adequately for a pandemic. [64], At the 2011 election, the SNP won a large overall majority. Can Sturgeon's bid to narrow the 'educational gap' survive austerity Kevin McKenna The first minister has praised the contribution of Catholic schools to 'modern Scotland' Nicola Sturgeon. [95] She became the first woman to hold office. Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician serving as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since 2014. [185] As part of the agreement, the Green Party co-leaders would be nominated to serve as ministers. [319][320][321] The term was used to describe Sturgeon's "fierce" attitude. Sturgeon grew up in Prestwick and in the village of Dreghorn, in a terraced council house, which her parents bought through the right-to-buy scheme. She also served as Cabinet Secretary for Health, Infrastructure, and Parliament. Professor Emeritus of Politics, University of Bradford. Nicola Sturgeon is a Scottish politician. [108][109], Sturgeon launched, in what she claimed, as the most bold, ambitious and reforming SNP manifesto for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. Sturgeon was elected unopposed as SNP leader in November 2014 and was subsequently appointed as first minister, becoming the first woman to hold either position. The reception She has received today, demonstrates that that admiration and affection is certainly felt here in Scotland. Face masks were introduced in schools for the first time after Boris Johnson was told it was "not worth an argument" with Nicola Sturgeon over the issue, leaked files suggest. Image: Belfast Telegraph First Minister condemns anti-Catholic bigotry First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has publicly condemned anti-Catholic bigotry during First Minister's Questions in the Scottish Parliament. For there is plenty of evidence that people of Irish descent have been to the fore in the near-quadrupling of SNP membership to 92,000 since the referendum, which threatens to undo Labour at the 2015 UK general election. [53] Sturgeon stated that there was "no immediate threat to public health in Scotland", but added, "monitoring of those who have been in close contact with the two people is also being carried out as an additional precaution. [46] She was supported in her role as Health Secretary by Shona Robison, the Minister for Public Health and Sport, and by Alex Neil, the Minister for Housing and Communities. [229] However, proposed changes to Scotland's Gender Recognition Act that would have allowed people to change their identity through self-identification, rather than a medical process, were paused in June 2019. "[148], Sturgeon led her party to a landslide victory in the 2019 United Kingdom general election in Scotland. 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. Sturgeon oversaw the scrapping of prescription charges and was widely recognised for her handling of the 2009 swine flu pandemic. [311][312][313] Sturgeon claimed Johnson's "fragile male ego" stopped him from meeting her. What movie and television projects has Nicola Sturgeon been in? The first confirmed case of the virus in Scotland was announced on 1 March 2020, when a resident in Tayside had tested positive. 3: Robert Aderholt and Alabama's 4th District", "Sturgeon backs Catalan referendum calls", "Iain Macwhirter: Madrid should have learned the lesson of the Scottish independence referendum", "Nicola Sturgeon has first audience with the Queen", "First Minister Nicola Sturgeon leads Scottish tributes to Queen", "First Minister Nicola Sturgeon: 'The Queen was special to Scotland', "Nicola Sturgeon attacks 'Westminster austerity economics', "What's in the SNP's growth commission report? [234] In September 2021, Sturgeon was accused of shutting down debate about gender reforms after she described concerns about gender recognition reform as "not valid" and campaign groups and analysts complained that their concerns were being ignored. Sturgeon claimed following comments made by Trump in relation to Muslims entering the United States that he was "not fit" for the ambassadorial role with the Scottish Government. LONDON Nicola Sturgeon, a fiery campaigner for Scotland's independence who led its government for more than eight years, resigned on Wednesday, declaring that she was exhausted and had . [18] Sturgeon also stood unsuccessfully as the SNP candidate for the Irvine North ward on Cunninghame District Council in May 1992, for the Baillieston/Mount Vernon ward on Strathclyde Regional Council in 1994, and for the Bridgeton ward on Glasgow City Council in 1995. Tom Gallagher does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. But now these Scots are mainstream. [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". [247], In August 2021 the Scottish Government announced there had been 1,339 drug deaths in the previous year a new record high. Net Worth February 15, 2023. [271] Sturgeon highlighted that Spain should follow "the shining example" that was created as part of the Edinburgh Agreement between the Scottish and British Governments that allowed Scotland to hold a legally binding referendum. Sarwar did, however, win the seat with a majority of 2,914 votes. [101] Roseanna Cunningham, who had difficult relationship with Sturgeon, was surprisingly promoted to cabinet as the fair work secretary.