[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. 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. [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. [134] It was the best result for the Scottish Conservatives since Margaret Thatcher and the party's campaign slogan, "We said No to independence. The defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign in the referendum resulted in the resignation of Salmond as leader of the SNP and first minister. [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". [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. 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. There is no concrete proof that Lori is actually Jewish and she hasn't shared any information regarding her religious beliefs. [68], While campaigning for a Yes vote in August 2013, she told The Guardian that if Scots voted for the Union: "Will there be another referendum round the corner? She also served as Cabinet Secretary for Health, Infrastructure, and Parliament. According to one poll, just 31% of non Catholics backed independence compared with no less than 57% of Catholics. [101] Roseanna Cunningham, who had difficult relationship with Sturgeon, was surprisingly promoted to cabinet as the fair work secretary. Sturgeon became a high-profile figure in Scottish politics and often clashed with First Minister Jack McConnell at First Minister's Questions. Labour refused to support the bill as they claimed it failed to tackle windfall profit from alcohol retailers. There have been questions going around saying is Nicola Sturgeon lesbian. [126] May's comments confirmed that the PM wanted the Scottish government to be "fully engaged" in the process. 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? [150][151][152][153] In the wake of the results, Sturgeon said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had "no right" to stand in the way of another Scottish independence referendum after an "overwhelming" SNP election victory. [14], Sturgeon was a quiet child and has been described by her younger sister as "the sensible one" of the two. [15] She developed a passion for books and reading which continued into adult life. 1d ago Charlotte Observer [80] She also opined that Scottish independence was a matter of "when, not if". 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. One nurse told STV, "[When we hear the government say supplies are fine] it's not frustrating, it's crushing. One particular problem it highlighted was that not enough had been done to ensure Scottish hospitals and care homes had enough personal protective equipment. Professor Emeritus of Politics, University of Bradford. Absolutely not, there's no man I know who is less sexist. The SNP emerged as the second largest party and sat in opposition to the Labour-Lib Dem coalition. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship. The down side is that you just end up talking about it all the time and you never leave it outside. [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. Nicola Sturgeon is a Scottish politician. [238] At a press conference in Bute House, Sturgeon insisted that her resignation was not due to "short term pressures" and stated that the job "takes its toll on you". 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. [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. The worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 began during Sturgeon's second term as First Minister. Sturgeon oversaw the scrapping of prescription charges and was widely recognised for her handling of the 2009 swine flu pandemic. [90] In her first speech as leader, Sturgeon said that it was "the privilege of her life" to lead the party she joined as a teenager. ", "Nicola Sturgeon's sister urges the critics to 'cut SNP leader some slack' on Covid", "Sunderland roots of SNP's Nicola Sturgeon", "Gary Elliot: Nicola Sturgeon and I come from the same working class stock - trying to paint her as the 'new establishment' is laughable", "Nicola Sturgeon on taking Scotland to the world", "Profile: Nicola Sturgeon spoke to Mandy Rhodes about her miscarriage", "Sturgeon: "Now or never" to banish Trident", "Sturgeon on Charles Kennedy 'a most talented politician', "Nicola Sturgeon reveals how she and Charles Kennedy watched Trainspotting together as she pays tribute to former Lib Dem leader", "BBC News | SCOTLAND | Poll 'backs' Section 28", "Edinburgh News, "Salmond in shock bid for leader", "Scotsman.com, "Salmond's arch-rival buries hatchet with declaration of support", "Why does Nicola Sturgeon not have a seat in Westminster? It really matters. She is the eldest child of her parents, Robin and Joanne Sturgeon. ", "Rise of Nicola Sturgeon: from 'nippy sweetie' to SNP leader? [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". [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. [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. Immediately after the referendum he released an embarrassingly toadying statement praising Alex Salmond and then welcomed the new First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with unprecedented over-eagerness . "[148], Sturgeon led her party to a landslide victory in the 2019 United Kingdom general election in Scotland. They announced their engagement on 29 January 2010,[332] and were married on 16 July 2010 at ran Mr in Glasgow. This means that Catholic electoral areas can expect to see divisions in the UK and Scottish elections of 2015 and 2016. Is Nicola Sturgeon Catholic - What Is Her Religion? [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], Sturgeon has campaigned against replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system. [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. Nicola Sturgeon went on a stadium tour after becoming SNP leader She opened her premiership more like a rock star than a politician, embarking on a sold-out stadium tour amid a blaze of popular. [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. "[155], In April 2022 Sturgeon demanded that Prime Minister Boris Johnson resign after police fined him for breaking lockdown rules in 2020. ", "Election 2015: SNP wins 56 of 59 seats in Scots landslide", "Nicola Sturgeon crowned 'Politician of the Year', "Nicola Sturgeon ranked second most powerful woman in UK", "Nicola Sturgeon tops Woman's Hour power list", "Nicola Sturgeon announces wedding plans", "Nicola Sturgeon ties the knot but she won't be calling herself Mrs Murrell", "Nicola Sturgeon spills the beans on her home life as she reveals she's a disaster in the kitchen - Daily Record", "Nicola Sturgeon discusses favourite books with author Maggie O'Farrell | The Scotsman", " I love reading - it gives me a lot of joy and helps with the stresses and strains of work. No. 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. [111] The manifesto also included a commitment to increase NHS funding by 500 million, "baby boxes" full of essentials to newborn parents, and an ambitious new target to cut emissions by 50% by 2020 as of the party's effort to tackle climate change. The national mission is failing. [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 said there were "lots of lessons to learn". The answer is No. Sturgeon confirmed in June 2016 that the Scottish government had formally agreed to draft legislation to allow a second independence referendum to take place. "[207][208][209][210], In June 2022, Sturgeon officially announced her plan for Scottish independence once again. "[245], The crisis has particularly impacted the homeless in Scotland: 216 homeless people died in Scotland in 2019 an increase of 11% on the previous year; over half (54%) of these deaths were drug-related. [184], In August 2021, Sturgeon and Scottish Green Party co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater announced a power-sharing agreement between their parties. 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. The up side is that Peter understands what's going on and why I am late home all the time. Quite A Scoop! [261], In response to the Brexit vote, to discuss Scotland's interests, Sturgeon travelled to Brussels to meet with both Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission as well as Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament.[262][263]. "[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. 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. Born in Ayrshire, Sturgeon is a law graduate of the University of Glasgow, having worked as a solicitor in Glasgow before her election to the Scottish Parliament in 1999. [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. Her grandmother married Robert Sturgeon, an Ayr gardener, at St Pauls Parish Church. Some will see this as the acquisition of belated self-confidence by a submerged community. Initially, the Scottish Government resisted banning public events and on 12 March allowed 47,000 fans to attend a Rangers match at Ibrox, insisting that, "stopping mass gatherings [is] not the best way to contain this virus. Established in 1999, Catholic Truth is a lay-led apostolate, launched for the purpose of . Nicola Sturgeon has rejected an accusation she lied to the Scottish people about the country's currency after independence. [citation needed] During her time at the University of Glasgow she was active as a member of the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association and the Glasgow University Students' Representative Council. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [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. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon whose party are losing electoral support from fundamentalist members of the Catholic Church in Scotland. [180] In the election, the SNP won 64 of the 129 seats contested. [82][83] It quickly became apparent that no other candidate would be able to receive enough required nominations to run a credible leadership campaign. 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". [328][329] She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2014. She also served as a member of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee and the Health and Community Care Committee. [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. What religion are the Bee Gees? [186], In August 2021, confonted by climate activist Lauren Macdonald about the Cambo oil field west of Shetland, Sturgeon refused to take a position on whether its development should go ahead. [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. [246] Per head, Scotland's death rate among the homeless is the highest in Britain. 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. On Salmond's resignation, Sturgeon said: The personal debt of gratitude I owe Alex is immeasurable. [15] Sturgeon was a fan of Wham! [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. 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". The victims of drugs and their families were failed. 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. [211] She argued that her government had an "indisputable mandate" for a second Scottish independence referendum. [258][259][260] Sturgeon has committed to strengthening links between Scotland and Africa. [146] Two of the civil servants who made complaints about Salmond later said they felt they had been "dropped" by the Scottish Government after it lost the judicial review against him, adding they feared their experiences would make it less likely people would make complaints in the future. "The basic values of integrity and decency - essential to the proper working of any parliamentary democracy - demand that he go," she tweeted. He has been my friend, mentor and colleague for more than 20 years. [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. SNP convener Derek Mackay publicly congratulated Sturgeon as de facto leader in waiting, saying that she would be "a fantastic new leader" for both the SNP and for Scotland. [240], In 2016 the Scottish Government cut direct funding to drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes from 69.2 million to 53.8 million a drop of 22%. The Catholicism of the Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy has attracted some attention this week against a backdrop of fascinating political developments in Scotland. Jim Murphy took his soapbox all over Scotland, holding 100 meetings in the campaigns last 100 days. Pro-life, Same-sex Marriage, Politicians, Marriage, Morals, Catholic education, Ecumenism, Abortion, Transgenderism, LGBT+, Politics nicola sturgeon, first minister of scotland, cardinal winning lecture, university of glasgow 22 Comments Their poverty had been alleviated by post-1945 British reforms. [330] In 2015, BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour assessed Sturgeon to be the most powerful and influential woman in the United Kingdom. "[164], In April 2020 whistle-blowers in the NHS came forward to reveal that staff were being made to reuse dirty personal protective equipment (PPE) while at work. Sturgeon apologised for being overexcited although expressed that she was celebrating Amy Callaghan's win. [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. ", "Covid in Scotland: Inadequate preparations for Covid, says watchdog", "Scottish government inadequately prepared for Covid watchdog", "Covid in Scotland: Places of worship can open now after court win", "Church leaders pile pressure on Sturgeon to lift public worship ban", "Scotland's Covid death toll officially passes 10,000", "The full picture of Covid-linked deaths in Scotland's care homes", "Nicola Sturgeon leads calls for Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to resign", "Nicola Sturgeon demands Boris Johnson resigns after Prime Minister fined", "Police speak to Nicola Sturgeon over mask breach", "Police Scotland takes 'no further action' on Nicola Sturgeon following face mask complaint", "Covid in Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon gets police warning but no fine after mask law break", "SNP to seek Scottish independence vote after election victory", "Scottish election 2021: Nicola Sturgeon celebrates 'historic' SNP election win", "SNP wins election, but just one seat short of overall majority", "John Swinney to be minister for Covid recovery", "SNP and Scottish Greens confirm power-sharing deal in historic moment for Greens", "Green co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater to serve as ministers in Nicola Sturgeon's Government", "Sturgeon urges UK government to reassess Cambo oil field plan", "Shetland oilfield is a drop in the ocean", "Nicola Sturgeon 'hiding behind PM' on Cambo oilfield, say climate groups", "Nicola Sturgeon: Cambo oil field should not get green light", "Scottish island ferry crossings cancelled as wind and rain batter West Coast", "Ferry service has racked up more than 4,500 cancelled sailings in the last three-and-half years", "Scots bride's wedding saved after ferry nightmare left ceremony on the rocks", "Ferry disruption hits Arran hotels | Scottish Licensed Trade News", "Islanders hire fishing boats and RIBs after CalMac cancellations | Wetherspoon chief goes on attack over VAT | Hospitality group launches recruitment drive", "How are ferry problems affecting people on Barra? The previous leader, Alex Salmond, announced at the time that he would not stand. [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". [65], In December 2012, Sturgeon said that she believed that independence would allow Scotland to build a stronger and more competitive country, and would change spending priorities to address "the scandal of soaring poverty in a country as rich as Scotland". while other islanders said they had missed doctors appointments, funerals and even the chance to say goodbye to dying loved ones because of cancelled sailings. [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. [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. First Minister condemns anti-Catholic bigotry. [192][193][194][195] During the winter of 2022 only one in three sailings to the island of Coll went ahead;[196] Hebridean shopkeepers kept receiving deliveries of rotten food;[197][198] 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.