"The First Minister must stop hiding behind Boris Johnson," a spokesperson for the organisation said. 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. [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? 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. ", "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? and Duran Duran, and enjoyed spending Saturday nights at Frostys Ice Disco in Irvine. By the looks of it, Nicola Sturgeon religion is Catholic. 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. [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. The national mission is failing. [311][312][313] Sturgeon claimed Johnson's "fragile male ego" stopped him from meeting her. Boundary changes meant that the notional Labour majority in the seat had increased substantially. [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. 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. ", "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? [24] Shortly after this, Sturgeon was appointed as the SNP's spokesperson for energy and education matters. Nicola Sturgeon condemns recent vandalism at St Simon's Partick at First Minister Questions today May 2nd. Alex Neil, who many speculated would be dismissed, remained in cabinet but in a "less prominent portfolio" of social justice, communities and pensioners rights. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon whose party are losing electoral support from fundamentalist members of the Catholic Church in Scotland. In 1979 most of them voted No or abstained in the first referendum on devolution. [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. [22][23], The 1997 general election saw Sturgeon selected to fight the Glasgow Govan seat for the SNP. She was unsuccessful, having been beaten by almost 15,000 votes by Labour. [112] Sturgeon also hinted if re-elected she would hold a second referendum on Scottish independence. Nicola Sturgeon Net Worth, Salary, Income, Set to resign as Scottish First Minister. If you are talking about the singer Shakira, yes she is Roman. Covid in Scotland LIVE as NHS in 'crisis' with cases remaining high across country [170] This followed an open letter two months earlier, written by 200 church leaders to Sturgeon, warning her that the prohibition could be unlawful. [237] Sturgeon refused to say if she regards Bryson as a man or woman, though she used female pronouns when talking about Bryson. [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. [citation needed]. [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. Despite losing her majority, Sturgeon secured a second term in office, forming a minority government. He spelled out the risks of partitioning Britain with so little elementary homework having been done. [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'. [89], Sturgeon was formally acclaimed as the first female Leader of the SNP on 14 November 2014 at the Autumn Conference in Perth, with Hosie as her depute. From her family background, we can say that Nicola is Christian. It is absolutely crushing. However, that decision is not for today. [132] Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, all plans for another referendum were put on hold. [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. She is born into a family of four, including her . [15] Sturgeon was shy and has said that she "much preferred to sit with my head in a book than talking to people". 1d ago Charlotte Observer [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. Shortly after being elected, Sturgeon appointed John Swinney to the newly created position of Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery. 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. First Minister condemns anti-Catholic bigotry. Furthermore, they concluded that the Scottish Government had awarded the contracts without normal financial safeguards and presided over a "multitude of failings". 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. [119][120] Sturgeon claimed that it was "clear that the people of Scotland see their future as part of the European Union" and that Scotland had "spoken decisively" with a "strong, unequivocal" vote to remain in the European Union. ", "Moray: 'We are fed up with the SNP. One nurse told STV, "[When we hear the government say supplies are fine] it's not frustrating, it's crushing. At the time, Queen's Counsel under the reign of Elizabeth II, now King's Counsel under the reign of Charles III. [77][78][79] Sturgeon said that there would be "no greater privilege" than to lead the SNP. Sturgeon will remain in office until a successor is chosen. [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. Despite Ullrich failing to win the seat, Sturgeon ploughed her political energy into the Young Scottish Nationalists (now the Young Scots For Independence), joining its national executive when she was 17. 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. [314][315], Sturgeon's attempts to request approval for a second referendum on Scottish independence were declined by the Johnson administration. [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. 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. [41] Sturgeon led coalition negotiation talks between the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Greens, but these talks failed to reach an agreement, with the Lib Dems backing out and the Greens instead supporting a 'confidence and supply' agreement. 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. During the referendum campaign, cult-like Yes rallies in Glasgow housing estates were conventions of zealotry (I attended my fair share, but the Scottish media mainly overlooked them). [167], In February 2021 Audit Scotland published a report that concluded the Scottish Government had not prepared adequately for a pandemic. The previous leader, Alex Salmond, announced at the time that he would not stand. 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. Early life and political career [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". [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. [121] Sturgeon said it was "democratically unacceptable" that Scotland could be taken out of the EU "against its will".[122]. [180] In the election, the SNP won 64 of the 129 seats contested. [129] By the end of that week, on 30 March 2017, Sturgeon wrote to the Prime Minister requesting a Section 30 order, formally devolving the responsibility and power to the Scottish Government to plan for and hold another referendum on Scottish independence. [331], Sturgeon lives in Glasgow with her husband, Peter Murrell, who is the chief executive officer of the SNP. [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. I owe the Daily Mail big time for that', "Most dangerous woman in Britain or Queen of Scotland? catholic Is Shakira a Roman Catholic? [296] Large numbers of LGBT activists followed suit and Sturgeon released a video message in which she said that transphobia is "not acceptable" and said she hoped they would re-join the party. ", "Rise of Nicola Sturgeon: from 'nippy sweetie' to SNP leader? 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. [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. [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}. [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. [266] Sturgeon highlighted her disapproval of his language and views relating to sexism and misogyny, and stated upon Trump's victory that she hopes "Trump turns out to be a president different to the one he was during his campaign and reaches out to those who felt vilified by his campaign". [251] Annemarie Ward, chief executive at the FAVOR Scotland charity, said: "Nicola Sturgeon said she would make it her national mission to save lives - but were still losing more than 1000 people a year. [] I can think of no greater privilege than to seek to lead the party I joined when I was just 16. Overall, it concluded that ministers "could have been better prepared to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic". [134] It was the best result for the Scottish Conservatives since Margaret Thatcher and the party's campaign slogan, "We said No to independence. There have been questions going around saying is Nicola Sturgeon lesbian. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stated that she feels the Church is still influential in Scottish life. The reception She has received today, demonstrates that that admiration and affection is certainly felt here in Scotland. [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. 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. 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. [163] When asked by the BBC if the policy had been a mistake, Sturgeon said: "Looking back on that now, with the knowledge we have now and with the benefit of hindsight, yes. One particular problem it highlighted was that not enough had been done to ensure Scottish hospitals and care homes had enough personal protective equipment. We can't bind our successors, but we've made very clear our belief that constitutional referenda are once-in-a-generation events. by Anthony Horan in News. Sturgeon admitted that these results were "bitterly disappointing" and acknowledged that her party's plans for a second referendum were 'undoubtedly' a factor in the election results. [300][301] She was accused of using "dangerous language" and when asked if she regretted the comments, Sturgeon simply replied "No" and emphasised the point she detested Tory policies and not supporters or voters. [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. She joined the SNP following an assumption by her English teacher, who was a Labour councillor, she would be a Labour supporter. 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? She also served as Cabinet Secretary for Health, Infrastructure, and Parliament. [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. [32], The results of the leadership contest were announced on 3 September 2004, with Salmond and Sturgeon elected as Leader and Depute Leader respectively. [62], To tackle Scotland's poor relationship with alcohol, Sturgeon passed legislation to increase the price of alcohol per unit to help reduce sales, in particular, for those addicted. "[69], In November 2013, Sturgeon joined Salmond to launch Scotland's Future - the Scottish Government's prospectus for independence. Some will see this as the acquisition of belated self-confidence by a submerged community. [142][143] Sturgeon's husband, Peter Murrell, was called to this inquiry to give evidence on 8 December 2020. [229] However, the policy divided the party and it the bill was delayed during Sturgeon's second term in office because of opposition to the policy and the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. "[165] Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament in July, "At no point within this crisis has Scotland run out of any aspect of PPE. 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. [73] In July 2014 Sturgeon said this would put at risk the right of EU citizens to continue living in Scotland: "There are 160,000 EU nationals from other states living in Scotland, including some in the Commonwealth Games city of Glasgow. They are more likely to be within a splintered and increasingly post-religious community rather than between Orange and Green factions. [14], Sturgeon was a quiet child and has been described by her younger sister as "the sensible one" of the two. Labour refused to support the bill as they claimed it failed to tackle windfall profit from alcohol retailers. She was categorised in 2015 as part of the SNP's gradualist wing, which believed in achieving independence through accumulating the Scottish Parliament's powers from the UK Parliament over time. [48], As Health Secretary, Sturgeon became more widely known internationally for her handling of the 2009 flu pandemic. ", "Nicola Sturgeon says transphobia in SNP 'not acceptable', "Nicola Sturgeon: transphobia in SNP is 'not acceptable' video", "Nicola Sturgeon signs 'Rethink Trident' pledge", "Nicola Sturgeon attacks 'utterly failing' Tories and says economic case for independence will come next week", "Sturgeon accused of divisive rhetoric for saying 'I detest the Tories', "Sturgeon accused of 'dangerous language' after saying she 'detests the Tories', "Sturgeon accused of using 'dangerous language' about Tories", "Nicola Sturgeon seen as "really dangerous" after saying she "detest" Tories", "Nicola Sturgeon doesn't regret saying she 'detests' Tories", "Boris Johnson only PM I've worked with who has disgraced the office Sturgeon", "Sturgeon slams Johnson's 'divorced from reality' Downing Street speech", "Nicola Sturgeon blasts Boris Johnson's PM speech as 'divorced from reality', "Boris Johnson booed and heckled on Scotland visit", "Boris Johnson booed by protesters while visiting Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland", "Boris Johnson rejects Nicola Sturgeon call for emergency Omicron meeting", "Boris Johnson declines Nicola Sturgeon's invitation to meet for talks during Scotland trip", "Boris Johnson snubs Nicola Sturgeon invite for Covid recovery talks", "Boris Johnson has 'fragile male ego', suggests Nicola Sturgeon", "Sturgeon: Boris Johnson's 'fragile male ego' may explain why he doesn't meet me", "Scotland's First Minister warns Boris Johnson cannot keep country in UK against its will", "Nicola Sturgeon calls Boris Johnson 'disgrace to office of prime minister', "Nicola Sturgeon: The SNP 'nippy sweetie' who learned how to crack (a bit of) a smile", "Is this the 'most dangerous woman in Britain'?