Scotland would then have to reapply for EU membership and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso predicted this would be "extremely difficult, if not impossible". "[148], Sturgeon led her party to a landslide victory in the 2019 United Kingdom general election in Scotland. [233][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. ", "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. 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. This included rows over the House of Commons' decision to replace the Trident nuclear weapon system, and the SNP's plans to replace council tax in Scotland with a local income tax. However, that decision is not for today. [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 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and many devotees dislike the popular epithet of the "Wee Frees," with good grounds for arguing that the term is both outdated and sectarian. The 50-year-old politician created history by being the first female Minister of Scotland. [335][336], Her mother Joan was the SNP Provost of North Ayrshire council, where she was councillor for the Irvine East ward from 2007 until 2016. 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. She will stay in post only until the Scottish National Party selects a new leader. As of 2023, Nicola Sturgeon is possibly single. [265], Sturgeon was highly critical of Donald Trump and his policies during the 2016 United States presidential election and had publicly backed his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. On 15 February 2023, Sturgeon announced that she would resign as first minister and SNP leader once a new leader is elected. They announced their engagement on 29 January 2010,[332] and were married on 16 July 2010 at ran Mr in Glasgow. She said that there were different reasons for much of the criticism of Rangers fans in George Square citing "anti-catholic abuse". [47] She reversed the decision to close casualty units at University Hospital Ayr and University Hospital Monklands. "[54] The following day, she confirmed that these were cases of the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus. 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. [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". [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". First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stated that she feels the Church is still influential in Scottish life. She is the eldest child of her parents, Robin and Joanne Sturgeon. Sturgeon argued that the meetings were SNP party matters, and thus not covered. ", "Donald Trump is 'misogyny at its worst' says Sturgeon", "Scottish independence: Sexist envoy Tony Abbott is boost for second referendum, says Nicola Sturgeon", "Sturgeon slams 'sexist' tweet by Labour MSP Neil Findlay", "Sturgeon Insists Salmond is the 'Least Sexist Man' She Knows", "Sturgeon rejects sexist jibe about Salmond", "Challenge friends over sexist conduct, Nicola Sturgeon urges men", "Men must challenge misogynistic behaviour, says Nicola Sturgeon", "Several women 'close to quitting SNP over gender recognition plans', "Joanna Cherry accuses SNP colleagues of 'performative histrionics' over transgender issue", "Anger over trans woman on all-female SNP shortlist", "Why has the SNP been accused of 'transphobic views' and who is Teddy Hope? [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. [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. [189], The announcement was welcomed by the Scottish Green party but Greenpeace criticised Sturgeon for not coming out more strongly against the oil field. Alex Salmond, the departing leader, preached a rousing sermon and anointed his successor, Nicola Sturgeon, amid great fervour. "[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. [132] Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, all plans for another referendum were put on hold. "[275], Following the death of the Queen Elizabeth II, Sturgeon led tributes to the Queen. 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. Sturgeon - who had previously apologised to the Scottish Parliament after she was caught breaking the same law in December 2020[176] - apologised once more and said the police had been "absolutely right to treat me no differently to any other citizen. His then-depute, Roseanna Cunningham, immediately announced her intention to stand for the leadership. If Scotland was outside Europe, they would lose the right to stay here."[74][75]. [77][78][79] Sturgeon said that there would be "no greater privilege" than to lead the SNP. [272], An advocate for Scottish independence, Sturgeon has campaigned for independence from the United Kingdom since her late teens. [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. [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. Absolutely not, there's no man I know who is less sexist. ", "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? [265] With London seeking to restrict immigration to the United Kingdom, she asserted that Scotland should be able to set its own immigration policy, as well as policies relating to employment and trade. [247], In August 2021 the Scottish Government announced there had been 1,339 drug deaths in the previous year a new record high. [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 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. [85][86], Nominations for the SNP leadership closed on 15 October, with Sturgeon confirmed as the only candidate. 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. These are the heartlands of a community once defined by deep Catholic loyalties. "[207][208][209][210], In June 2022, Sturgeon officially announced her plan for Scottish independence once again. [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] [36], In the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, Sturgeon defeated Gordon Jackson QC[a] with a 4.7% swing to the SNP in the Glasgow Govan constituency. ", "The triumph of Nicola Sturgeon | Ian Jack", "Nicola Sturgeon: 'The most dangerous woman in Britain? [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. On 24 June, Sturgeon said she would communicate to all EU member states that Scotland had voted to stay in the EU. [256] In some local authorities the attainment gap between the richest and poorest students had widened. Sturgeon kicked off her election campaign pledging that a strong result for the SNP would "reinforce" her mandate for a second independence referendum. The move is prompting a new conversations about trans rights, independence and Jacinda Ardern. [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. [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. 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). [145], On 4 March 2021, Sturgeon answered questions over a period of eight hours from members of the committee. She became the youngest ever parliamentary candidate in Scotland in the 1992 general election. The Catholicism of the Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy has attracted some attention this week against a backdrop of fascinating political developments in Scotland. One nurse told STV, "[When we hear the government say supplies are fine] it's not frustrating, it's crushing. [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 will remain in office until a successor is chosen. What religion are the Bee Gees? [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. [246] Per head, Scotland's death rate among the homeless is the highest in Britain. Affiliated with the Scottish National Party, she took office in 2007 as Deputy First Minister of Scotland. [311][312][313] Sturgeon claimed Johnson's "fragile male ego" stopped him from meeting her. The answer is No. 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". Responding to a question by Labour MSP James Kelly, the First . [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. [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. 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. [149] Among the election casualties was Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson, who lost her seat in East Dunbartonshire. The First Minister stated:"Anti-Catholic discrimin. [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. [302][303][304][305], Sturgeon has been highly critical towards the leadership of Boris Johnson's government. [15] Sturgeon was a fan of Wham! She also said that the result "renews, reinforces and strengthens" the mandate for Indyref2.[154]. [138][139], In January 2019, Sturgeon referred herself to an independent ministerial ethics body, which led to an investigation into her actions with respect to a sexual harassment case concerning allegations against Salmond. She also promised to hold a monthly Facebook question and answer session with members of the public, regular town hall meetings and that the Scottish Cabinet would meet outside Edinburgh once every two months. [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. In Alex Salmond's shadow cabinet, she served as Shadow Minister for Children and Education from 1999 to 2000. [31] The majority of the SNP hierarchy lent their support to the SalmondSturgeon bid for the leadership, although MSP Alex Neil backed Salmond as leader, but refused to endorse Sturgeon as depute. Nicola was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, on July 9, 1970. [56][57], On 11 June, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the influenza virus a pandemic. [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. [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". Nicola Sturgeon . [185] As part of the agreement, the Green Party co-leaders would be nominated to serve as ministers. 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. [43][44] He appointed Sturgeon as Deputy First Minister and tasked her with the Cabinet position of Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing. 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. Sarwar did, however, win the seat with a majority of 2,914 votes. Professor Emeritus of Politics, University of Bradford. [224][225] Unionist parties have rejected this characterisation. Their sense of grievance, anti-imperialism and touchiness are traits that chime with plenty other Scots. catholic Is Shakira a Roman Catholic? 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. 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. [161] Many had been infected with the virus and ended up passing it on to other care home residents. [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. [309][310] This was the only occasion when he made a formal visit to Edinburgh as he declined future invites by the first minister. [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". [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. 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. Jim Murphy took his soapbox all over Scotland, holding 100 meetings in the campaigns last 100 days. This followed her admitting that she had had a secret meeting and subsequent phone call with Salmond about the Scottish government's allegations against him. [84] During the speech launching her campaign, Sturgeon announced that she would resign as Depute Leader, triggering a concurrent depute leadership election; the MSPs Angela Constance and Keith Brown and the MP Stewart Hosie all nominated themselves to succeed Sturgeon as Depute Leader. [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. On 17 January 2023, the UK Government decided to implement a section 35 order of the Scottish Act 1998 which prevented the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill from gaining Royal Assent. Feb 15, 2023 Nicola Sturgeon appears like her religion is Christianity. 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. 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. By the looks of it, Nicola Sturgeon religion is Catholic. Recently, Nicola Sturgeon caught the headlines after being accused of treating the north of England with contempt. Nicola Sturgeon blasted Rangers revellers for their anti-Catholic rampage Credit: Reuters. The Catholic church has long ceased to be an effective opinion former a charge that could equally be levelled at most denominations, of course. [14], Sturgeon was a quiet child and has been described by her younger sister as "the sensible one" of the two. [172][173], At a session of First Minister's Questions in June 2021, Sturgeon was asked about mistakes made early on in the pandemic and she replied: "If I could turn the clock back, would we go into lockdown earlier than we did? 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. Perhaps Sturgeon knew her position lacked credibility so made up nonsense about 'anti-Catholic bigotry' without bothering to cite any evidence. [citation needed]. Johnson went ahead with the policy despite England's Chief Medical Officer saying there were "no very strong reasons" to do so. [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.