[162] Over three thousand care home residents died from COVID-19[163] and Gary Smith, Scotland Secretary of the GMB, said the policy had turned "care homes into morgues". 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. [181] The SNP won a fourth consecutive election, albeit short of an overall majority, with a record number of votes on both the constituency and regional vote[failed verification] as well as increasing their share of the constituency vote and making a net gain of one seat. by Anthony Horan in News. [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. [283] She has hailed Scottish feminist economist Ailsa McKay as one of her inspirations. [49][50], Sturgeon also outlined a guaranteed maximum 18-week wait for patients after they had seen their GP and vowed to do away with deferred or "hidden" waiting lists. [135] Observers also concluded that opposition to the EU's Common Fisheries Policy in coastal communities was a factor behind large swings to the Tories in North East seats previously held by nationalists for decades. On 15 February 2023, Sturgeon announced that she would resign as first minister and SNP leader once a new leader is elected. [47] She reversed the decision to close casualty units at University Hospital Ayr and University Hospital Monklands. Aged 21, Sturgeon was selected as the SNP candidate in the Glasgow Shettleston constituency. Speaking at the annual Cardinal Winning Lecture at the University of . Professor Emeritus of Politics, University of Bradford. Fiona Hyslop and Richard Lochhead remained in their portfolios of culture secretary and rural affairs secretary, respectively. And many in Sturgeons party have rather different views from Archbishops Tartaglia in Glasgow and Cushley in Edinburgh about when the sacredness of human life begins and ends and how far the state should micro-manage the individual. As Shadow Education minister, Sturgeon backed Labour's efforts to repeal Section 28 a Westminster law that banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools. She led the Scottish Government's response, implementing a series of restrictions on social gatherings and rolling out the vaccine programme. [241][242] At the time, Scottish Drugs Forum Chief Executive David Liddell said he was concerned that the cuts had "the potential to increase harm and drug-related deaths. [33] As Salmond was still an MP in the House of Commons, Sturgeon led the SNP at the Scottish Parliament until the 2007 election, when Salmond was elected as an MSP. From her family background, we can say that Nicola is Christian. [80] She also opined that Scottish independence was a matter of "when, not if". "[148], Sturgeon led her party to a landslide victory in the 2019 United Kingdom general election in Scotland. 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. On 15 February 2023, Sturgeon announced her intention to resign the leadership of the SNP and as First Minister. Nicola Sturgeon will resign from her first minister post, she announced Wednesday. What movie and television projects has Nicola Sturgeon been in? In Alex Salmond's shadow cabinet, she served as Shadow Minister for Children and Education from 1999 to 2000. Sturgeon stood for election to the Scottish Parliament in the first Scottish Parliament election in 1999 as the SNP candidate for Glasgow Govan. [14], Sturgeon was a quiet child and has been described by her younger sister as "the sensible one" of the two. [307][308] In July 2019, the prime minister met Sturgeon at her official residence, Bute House, where Johnson was "booed and heckled" by protesters. [188] The letter represented a significant shift in policy for the SNP, which had historically been a strong supporter of the oil and gas industry; the party's blueprint for an independent Scotland in 2013 was predicated on tax revenue earned from domestic oil production, while Sturgeon had predicted in the run-up to the referendum that, "Were on the verge of another North Sea bonanza". He spelled out the risks of partitioning Britain with so little elementary homework having been done. Nicola Sturgeon Speaking At National Economic Forum (Source: Instagram) Sturgeon used Brexit at her advantage as a case for a second referendum on independence but plans came to a halt amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "[177][178][179], Sturgeon led the SNP into the 2021 Scottish Parliament election on a manifesto promise to hold a second independence referendum after the COVID-19 pandemic was over. [302][303][304][305], Sturgeon has been highly critical towards the leadership of Boris Johnson's government. [231] Critics of the changes within the SNP had accused Sturgeon of being "out of step" on the issue, and expressed concerns that the reforms would be open to abuse and allow predatory men into women's spaces. [29] The political columnist Iain Macwhirter declared that while she "didn't inspire great warmth", she was "quick on her feet, lacks any ideological baggage and has real determination unlike Roseanna Cunningham". The 50-year-old politician created history by being the first female Minister of Scotland. [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. [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. 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? [citation needed], Following her graduation, Sturgeon completed her legal traineeship at McClure Naismith, a Glasgow firm of solicitors, in 1995. 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. One nurse told STV, "[When we hear the government say supplies are fine] it's not frustrating, it's crushing. [279] However, in 2018 she endorsed her party's Growth Commission report that pledged to reduce an independent Scotland's budget deficit as a percentage of GDP[280] something the Institute for Fiscal Studies concluded meant "continued austerity". In the 1987 UK General election, Sturgeon got her first taste of campaigning, going door-to-door to get her local SNP candidate, Kay Ullrich, elected to Westminster. [92], On 20 November 2014, Sturgeon was sworn into office at the Court of Session in a ceremony presided by Lord Gill,[93][94] after receiving the royal warrant of appointment by Queen Elizabeth II. Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has said her government is an "unequivocal supporter" of Catholic schools. [228], As part of the SNP's 2016 manifesto policy, the SNP pledged to voters review and reform the way that trans people change their legal gender. [95] She became the first woman to hold office. The First Minister stated:"Anti-Catholic discrimin. As the new leader of Scottish Labour, Murphy will certainly hope to bring disaffected voters to their senses by challenging what he sees as the dangerous impracticality of nationalism. [269][270], In the run up to the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, Nicola Sturgeon offered her own personal backing and that of the Scottish Government to Catalonia in the holding of a referendum. The Catholicism of the Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy has attracted some attention this week against a backdrop of fascinating political developments in Scotland. There was, however, significant public opposition to repeal and an unscientific postal vote on the issue organised by SNP donor Brian Souter suggested most Scots wanted to keep the clause. [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. [235], On 22 December 2022, the Scottish Parliament voted 86 to 39 to pass the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill which was introduced by Sturgeon's government, but the bill was vetoed by the UK Government. [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. On 19 September 2014, independence was rejected in the Scottish independence referendum, with 55.3% of the voters voting no and 44.7% voting yes. [30], However, once Cunningham emerged as the favourite to win,[30] Salmond announced his intention to stand for the leadership; Sturgeon subsequently withdrew from the contest and declared her support for Salmond, standing instead as his running mate for the depute leadership. [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". [253] In particular, she said she hoped to focus on closing the attainment gap between the richest and poorest children in Scottish schools, telling journalists: "Let me be clear I want to be judged on this. [134] It was the best result for the Scottish Conservatives since Margaret Thatcher and the party's campaign slogan, "We said No to independence. Overall, it concluded that ministers "could have been better prepared to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic". Others, myself included, glimpse the triumph of a new form of passivity skilfully managed by the ruling centre. [22][23], The 1997 general election saw Sturgeon selected to fight the Glasgow Govan seat for the SNP. A video of the interaction went viral[187] and a few days later, Sturgeon wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, asking that the development of Cambo should be "reassessed in light of the severity of the climate emergency". [184], In August 2021, Sturgeon and Scottish Green Party co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater announced a power-sharing agreement between their parties. In June 2017, Sturgeon criticised the approaches taken by both Theresa May and the British Government towards the Brexit approach, claiming that May "will struggle" as she is a "difficult person to build a rapport with". No. 1d ago Charlotte Observer [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. 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. [45], Sturgeon served as Health Secretary in Salmond's first, and for a year, in his second cabinet. 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". "[59] Four days later, a Scottish woman with underlying health conditions died at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. [322][323][324][325] It followed her party's unprecedented landslide victory in the 2015 general election, which questioned the future of the union. 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. [180] In the election, the SNP won 64 of the 129 seats contested. [37][38] This was one of many swings to the SNP, as the party emerged as the largest party, winning one seat more than the governing Scottish Labour Party. John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon "wrestled" with the idea of leaving at the same time, the Deputy First Minister has said. We can't bind our successors, but we've made very clear our belief that constitutional referenda are once-in-a-generation events. [48], As Health Secretary, Sturgeon became more widely known internationally for her handling of the 2009 flu pandemic. In the same interview, Sturgeon committed to no independence referendum being held prior to the terms of a UK wide Brexit deal being agreed and presented. [235], On 22 December 2022, the Scottish Parliament voted 86 to 39 to pass the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill which was introduced by Sturgeon's government. [237] Sturgeon refused to say if she regards Bryson as a man or woman, though she used female pronouns when talking about Bryson. They urged the Catholic community to spurn caution and embrace risk-taking without explaining how a largely low-income group would fare in the face of depleting oil reserves, the retreat of British state jobs, and an ageing population relying on a tax base over 12 times smaller than the present UK one. The official name is the Free Church of Scotland, and many devotees dislike the popular epithet of the "Wee Frees," with good grounds for arguing that the term is both outdated and sectarian. It's interesting what Dan Wootton said about her reaction to Omicron - that is the very first thing I said when I heard about it, that Nicola would jump on it and use it to bring in more restrictions. Johnson went ahead with the policy despite England's Chief Medical Officer saying there were "no very strong reasons" to do so. 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. [140], On 15 January 2019, the Scottish Parliament agreed to hold its own inquiry into the matter, the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints,[141] to investigate how the Government breached its own guidelines in its original investigation into the harassment claims against Salmond, and then lost a judicial review into their actions and had to pay over 500,000 to Salmond for legal expenses. While it commended the authorities for preventing hospitals from becoming overwhelmed during the crisis, the watchdog also noted that recommendations from pandemic planning exercises in 2015, 2016 and 2018 had not been fully implemented. [281][282], Sturgeon has also campaigned on women's rights and gender equality, and is a self-described feminist; she has argued that Scotland's feminist movement is not simply symbolic, but "sends a powerful signal about equality". Private Eye has described the police investigation into SNP finances as the "game-changer" in Nicola Sturgeon's abrupt decision to resign last month.. A column in the magazine also questioned whether Ms Sturgeon and her husband, the SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, have a joint bank account and, if so, whether his loan of 107,620 was made from it. The paper was sent to the central British Government to be read by Prime Minister Theresa May. It's as simple as that', "Scots are not becoming more conservative: three factors behind the Tory 'revival' in North East Scotland", "Nicola Sturgeon puts Scottish independence referendum bill on hold", "Nicola Sturgeon refuses to abandon indy ref 2 and promises new timetable in 2018", "Sturgeon refers herself to ethics body over actions in Salmond case", "Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints", "Alex Salmond says there is 'no doubt' Nicola Sturgeon broke ministerial code", "Alex Salmond inquiry likely to recall SNP chief exec and Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell", "MSPs bid to recall SNP chief Peter Murrell to Salmond inquiry", "Team Sturgeon breathes a sigh of relief", "Alex Salmond complainers claim government 'dropped' them", "The SNP mess has left me flabbergasted what kind of message does it send? | Jess Phillips", "Election 2019: the result in Scotland in numbers", "Nicola Sturgeon filmed celebrating Jo Swinson's defeat to SNP's Amy Callaghan video", "Nicola Sturgeon: 'I got overexcited' in reaction to Jo Swinson loss", "Nicola Sturgeon branded 'ungracious' after celebrating Jo Swinson losing her seat", "Nicola Sturgeon tips East Dunbartonshire's Amy Callaghan to be one of the stars of the Commons", "Sturgeon: PM has 'no right' to block Indyref2", "Nicola Sturgeon admits Scotland would have been in lockdown earlier if she 'could turn the clock back', "Coronavirus: Schools in Scotland and Wales to close from Friday BBC News", "Prime Minister's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 23 March 2020", "UK coronavirus: Boris Johnson announces strict lockdown across country as it happened", "Coronavirus: Nicola Sturgeon says new rules amount to 'lockdown' BBC News", "Timeline of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland", "Covid in Scotland: Government 'failed' social care sector during pandemic", "SNP Health Minister admits covid mistake in transferring patients to care homes", "Ministers' Covid error 'turned care homes into morgues', "Covid in Scotland: 'Mistake' to discharge Covid patients says Sturgeon", "Whistleblower: Nurses forced to reuse and share single-use PPE", "Coronavirus: Nicola Sturgeon defends PPE record after we revealed pre-pandemic warnings", "Covid-19: Should the UK be aiming for elimination? [71][72], During the campaign, the European Commission said that if Scots decided to leave the United Kingdom, it would also mean leaving the European Union. Sturgeon will remain in office until a successor is chosen. The couple have been in a relationship since 2003. "We have seen a rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases in Scotland over the past 10 days," she told Parliament. 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 . . [202][203][204], Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament of her "deep regret" that islanders were enduring such chaos and said that the Government was "learning lessons from this experience". Nicola Sturgeon is the current (2015) First Minister. Michael Matheson was promoted asjustice secretary. Yet just like this makes it ironic for a Catholic to be ascending to lead Scottish Labour, the SNP is now being led by a flinty secularist. [239] Sturgeon stated that she believed that her successor would lead Scotland to independence and that she would look on with pride whoever takes on the role. [100], The departure of Kenny MacAskill and Michael Russell signalled a generational shift away from the 79 group. Anthony Horan, director of the Catholic Parliamentary . [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". [85][86], Nominations for the SNP leadership closed on 15 October, with Sturgeon confirmed as the only candidate. If he was engaged in a contest for the hearts and minds of Scots with a Catholic upbringing and some Irish roots, he failed: Glasgow and its environs voted decisively Yes. In a letter to Nicola Sturgeon, he said . By Democrat reporter A fundamentalist representative of the Catholic Church in Scotland has called out the Scottish National Party's (SNP) "open and vicious hostility" towards pro-life Christians. He has been my friend, mentor and colleague for more than 20 years. By the looks of it, Nicola Sturgeon religion is Catholic. [107] As part of the election campaign, Sturgeon indicated that the SNP would hold another independence referendum if it won the upcoming 2016 Scottish Parliament election. [102], Sturgeon's cabinet was 50/50 gender balance, with five men and five women, including herself. [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. Leading bishops have drawn close to the SNP in the hope that they can influence it in matters crucial to church life, in what must be painful for Labour. From 18 November until her official appointment on 20 November, she served as the acting First Minister, essentially the First Minister-elect. when does the gravedigger get caught in bones, nashville barrel company bourbon,