Perhaps Sturgeon knew her position lacked credibility so made up nonsense about 'anti-Catholic bigotry' without bothering to cite any evidence. 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. [16][17], In her early teens, Sturgeon joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and in 1986, at the age of 16, she became a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), quickly becoming the party's Youth Affairs Vice Convener and Publicity Vice Convener. However, in 2016 the plan was abandoned and the Scottish Government blamed Westminster. Recently, Nicola Sturgeon caught the headlines after being accused of treating the north of England with contempt. There was no agreement on oil and gas exploration, but the government now argued that it had a stronger case for a national independence referendum. "[69], In November 2013, Sturgeon joined Salmond to launch Scotland's Future - the Scottish Government's prospectus for independence. [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". [256] In some local authorities the attainment gap between the richest and poorest students had widened. [99] Shona Robison, a close ally to Sturgeon, became the health secretary, while Keith Brown and Angela Constance, who were both unsuccessful in their bids for the deputy leadership of the SNP, were appointed infrastructure secretary and education secretary, respectively. [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. Aged 21, Sturgeon was selected as the SNP candidate in the Glasgow Shettleston constituency. 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". I try (tho don't alway", "Nicola Sturgeon miscarriage: First minister reveals baby loss", President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Proposed second Scottish independence referendum, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, Heads of governments of British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom, List of political parties in the United Kingdom, Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nicola_Sturgeon&oldid=1142514123, Female heads of government in the United Kingdom, Women heads of government of non-sovereign entities, Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Members of the Scottish Parliament 19992003, Members of the Scottish Parliament 20032007, Members of the Scottish Parliament 20072011, Members of the Scottish Parliament 20112016, Members of the Scottish Parliament 20162021, Members of the Scottish Parliament 20212026, Members of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow constituencies, Articles with dead external links from August 2022, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from June 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2019, Articles with failed verification from May 2021, Articles with failed verification from September 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 20:54. [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. The down side is that you just end up talking about it all the time and you never leave it outside. She unveiled her new plan arguing that it would allow Scotland to set out "a different and better vision"[212][213] and claimed that there is a legally secure path to get a referendum without permission from the cabinet. [80] She also opined that Scottish independence was a matter of "when, not if". [106], In the run-up to the elections, Sturgeon took part in several Scottish and UK-wide TV election debates and according to opinion polls was regarded to have had a successful performance. [56][57], On 11 June, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the influenza virus a pandemic. [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. We feel we are being lied to. It has been supplanted by left-wing agitators, celebrities, mocking comedians and restless academics and journalists. [114] Sturgeon announced her intention to seek a second term in office as a minority government. A dispersal order had to be issued as officers in riot gear battled with boozed-up fans refusing to leave . [127] As the constitution is a reserved matter under the Scotland Act 1998, for a future referendum on Scottish independence to be legal under UK law, it would need to receive the consent of the British Parliament to take place. [272], An advocate for Scottish independence, Sturgeon has campaigned for independence from the United Kingdom since her late teens. "[155] However, on 18 March Sturgeon announced to the Scottish Parliament that all schools and nurseries in Scotland would close on 20 March to try to limit the spread of the virus. [224][225] Unionist parties have rejected this characterisation. Michael Matheson was promoted asjustice secretary. She became the youngest ever parliamentary candidate in Scotland in the 1992 general election. Quite A Scoop! [170] This followed an open letter two months earlier, written by 200 church leaders to Sturgeon, warning her that the prohibition could be unlawful. Published: December 12, 2014 10.48am EST Professor Emeritus of Politics, University of Bradford provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK. Nicola Sturgeon . [180] In the election, the SNP won 64 of the 129 seats contested. It would indeed be ironic if this Hibernian invasion of the SNP proved the wake-up call that reinforced the determination of many other Scots to strain every sinew to hold the union together. [230][231][232] In the 2021 SNP manifesto, Sturgeon committed the party once again to reform the Gender Recognition Act 2004 of the UK Parliament and in August that year included the commitment in her agreement with the Scottish Greens on power-sharing. [13] Her grandmother married Robert Sturgeon, a gardener from Ayr, at St Paul's Parish Church in 1943, and they both eventually moved back to the south west of Scotland. [231][293] The Scottish Government said it had paused the legislation in order to find "maximum consensus" on the issue[231] and commentators described the issue as having divided the SNP like no other, with many dubbing the debate a "civil war". She departs leaving both TERF Island and her successor holding two sweating sticks of constitutional dynamite. [311][312][313] Sturgeon claimed Johnson's "fragile male ego" stopped him from meeting her. "[165] Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament in July, "At no point within this crisis has Scotland run out of any aspect of PPE. [191], In the late 2010s, Scottish islanders began to complain that the ageing ferry fleet that connected them to the mainland had become increasingly unreliable. [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. [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. [15] Sturgeon was shy and has said that she "much preferred to sit with my head in a book than talking to people". The cosmopolitan outlook which membership of a vibrant world faith gave to Scots Catholics is fading. Scotlands Catholic community, to which I belong, has often felt itself to be a perennial underdog at the hands of a frosty establishment. [328][329] She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2014. [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. In 2015, Sturgeon was questioned as, and in some cases branded as, the 'most dangerous woman in Britain'. 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? 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. 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. [147] Labour MP Jess Phillips, a former employee of Women's Aid, accused Sturgeon of being "unprofessional with those women's lives" and said there had been a "litany of failures in professionalism and decency. She launched her programme for government, the Better Health, Better Care: Action Plan, which settled a new vision for NHS Scotland. As of 2023, Nicola Sturgeon is possibly single. [142][143] Sturgeon's husband, Peter Murrell, was called to this inquiry to give evidence on 8 December 2020. RELATIONSHIP DETAILS BELOW Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon is a Scottish politician and the fifth and current First Minister of Scotland and the leader of the Scottish National Party, in office since 2014. [58] Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament that containment of the virus had failed and that the Scottish Government was taking steps to mitigate the spread of the virus. [66] Sturgeon said the Scottish Government would "not wait" for Westminster to build a high-speed line to Scotland. "[241] That year 867 Scots lost their lives to drugs an increase of 23% on the previous year's figure and the SNP insisted it was part of a trend seen across much of Europe. 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. [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. [123] An emergency Scottish cabinet meeting on 25 June agreed that the Scottish Government would seek to enter negotiations with the EU and its member states, to explore options to protect Scotland's place in the EU. [102], Sturgeon's cabinet was 50/50 gender balance, with five men and five women, including herself. ", "Moray: 'We are fed up with the SNP. Sturgeon will remain in office until a successor is chosen. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stated that she feels the Church is still influential in Scottish life. Sturgeon immediately announced that she would be a candidate in the election to replace him, and received huge support from the SNP hierarchy. A seat short of a majority in 2021, Sturgeon became the first first minister to serve a third term, and she subsequently entered a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens. This also made her First Minister-Designate, given the SNP's absolute majority in the Scottish Parliament. The move is prompting a new conversations about trans rights, independence and Jacinda Ardern. [333] Reflecting on her marriage in 2012, Sturgeon told the Daily Record: "Being in the same kind of line of work has its up sides and its down sides. In Alex Salmond's shadow cabinet, she served as Shadow Minister for Children and Education from 1999 to 2000. The 50-year-old politician created history by being the first female Minister of Scotland. [321], Sturgeon was elected leader of the SNP at a time the party enjoyed a surge in membership. [215], Sturgeon officially announced that the referendum would be held on 19 October 2023. In 1979 most of them voted No or abstained in the first referendum on devolution. The calls from Sturgeon's government and the wider independence movement for a second referendum were unsuccessful, as the UK government refused to grant a Section 30 order and in November 2022 the UK Supreme Court ruled that the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to hold a referendum on the question of Scottish independence. [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. [244] Sturgeon sacked her Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick and in April 2021 said of the crisis: "I think we took our eye off the ball. "[334], Sturgeon is known for her love of fiction and says reading, "gives me a lot of joy and helps with the stresses and strains of work". [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. ", "Scottish independence: referendum results live , "Nicola Sturgeon: 'Devo is route to independence', "Nicola Sturgeon launches campaign to succeed Alex Salmond", "Nicola Sturgeon predicts independence 'one day' as she launches bid to replace Alex Salmond", "BBC News Nicola Sturgeon backed by former SNP leader Gordon Wilson to replace Salmond", "Keith Brown and Stewart Hosie stand for SNP deputy leadership", "Angela Constance: 'I know why Yes campaign failed', "Nicola Sturgeon tops politician trust rating poll", "Sturgeon vows to be 'most accessible' first minister ever", "New SNP leadership team: Sturgeon and Hosie", "SNP conference: Nicola Sturgeon appointed party leader", "Resignation date of former First Minister and appointment date of current First Minister: FOI release", "Nicola Sturgeon is elected first minister of Scotland", "Nicola Sturgeon sworn in as First Minister", "Nicola Sturgeon hails her appointment as positive message to girls of Scotland", Nicola Sturgeon officially sworn in as Scotland's First Minister, "John Swinney set to become Deputy First Minister", "Nicola Sturgeon announces new Scottish cabinet", "Nicola Sturgeon announces Scottish cabinet with equal gender balance", "In constructing her first Cabinet, Nicola Sturgeon has shown a commitment to sending 'a strong, positive message to girls and young women', "BElection 2015: SNP wins 56 of 59 seats in Scots landslide", "How many Lib Dems have lost their seats in the 2015 general election? [243] In December 2020 figures were released revealing that 1,264 people in Scotland had died from drug overdoses in 2019 the highest number in Europe per head and more than double the number in 2014. 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. [108][109], Sturgeon launched, in what she claimed, as the most bold, ambitious and reforming SNP manifesto for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. 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. 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. One nurse told STV, "[When we hear the government say supplies are fine] it's not frustrating, it's crushing. [136][137], Several weeks later Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament that she would "reset" and delay her plans for a second independence referendum; the SNP losses in that month's election had led her to conclude that many Scots "just want a break from making big political decisions". [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. The couple have been in a relationship since 2003. Fiona Hyslop and Richard Lochhead remained in their portfolios of culture secretary and rural affairs secretary, respectively. ", "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? [232], In January 2021, a former trans officer in the SNP's LGBT wing, Teddy Hope, quit the party, claiming it was one of the "core hubs of transphobia in Scotland". Thatcher was the motivation for my entire political career. This means that Catholic electoral areas can expect to see divisions in the UK and Scottish elections of 2015 and 2016. [51][52], On 26 April 2009, the Scottish Government announced that two people who had returned from Mexico had been admitted to Monklands Hospital in Airdrie after experiencing "mild flu-like symptoms". Affiliated with the Scottish National Party, she took office in 2007 as Deputy First Minister of 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. [246] Per head, Scotland's death rate among the homeless is the highest in Britain. What religion are the Bee Gees? [115][116][117], The UK Government held the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum to decide the future of the United Kingdom's European Union membership, in which all 32 council areas in Scotland voted by a majority for the United Kingdom to remain a member of the EU. [237] Sturgeon refused to say if she regards Bryson as a man or woman, though she used female pronouns when talking about Bryson. Following the 2017 UK general election, Nicola Sturgeon announced that the Scottish Government would postpone legislation pertaining to the proposed second referendum on Scottish independence until at least autumn 2018. Sturgeon was branded as "ungracious" when she was filmed by Sky News celebrating Swinson's defeat. [264], With a view towards Brexit, Sturgeon demanded greater powers for the Scottish Parliament, arguing that Brexit is threatening Scotland's devolution settlement. Within weeks of the referendum, Glasgow had a near five-fold rise in SNP membership and nearby Motherwell and Coatbridge had six-fold increases. ", "Rise of Nicola Sturgeon: from 'nippy sweetie' to SNP leader? 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. [273][failed verification], Sturgeon is a constitutional monarchist, telling journalists that it is "a model that has many merits". [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. [104] The party received 50% of the vote share in Scotland and replaced the Liberal Democrats as the third largest party in the British House of Commons. Yes, I think that is true. [15] She developed a passion for books and reading which continued into adult life. The Catholic church has long ceased to be an effective opinion former a charge that could equally be levelled at most denominations, of course. 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. She also served as a member of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee and the Health and Community Care Committee. "[166], In July 2020, Sturgeon advocated that the leaders of the four UK nations adopt a coordinated Zero-COVID strategy. [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. catholic Is Shakira a Roman Catholic? [39][40] Although the SNP was recognised as the winners of the election, it failed to obtain a majority and Labour was not willing to allow the SNP to enter government. "[250], In July 2022 the figures for 2021 were released, revealing that 1,330 had died - nine fewer than in 2020. [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.
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