From 2007 to 2012, she served as the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing. Lori Lightfoot with Holocaust survivors (Source: Facebook) Lori and her wife Amy were seen at a vaccination program held for Holocaust survivors and this rumor started. Responding to a question by Labour MSP James Kelly, the First . The first confirmed case of the virus in Scotland was announced on 1 March 2020, when a resident in Tayside had tested positive. [108][109], Sturgeon launched, in what she claimed, as the most bold, ambitious and reforming SNP manifesto for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. [88], At a speech in Dundee's Caird Hall on 7 November, Sturgeon pledged to be "the most accessible First Minister ever" when she took over. [167], In February 2021 Audit Scotland published a report that concluded the Scottish Government had not prepared adequately for a pandemic. [314][315], Sturgeon's attempts to request approval for a second referendum on Scottish independence were declined by the Johnson administration. You would need to be wired to the moon to think Nicola Sturgeon and her Government give two hoots about the teachings of the Catholic Church or the sensibilities of genuine Catholics. [287] However, she defended her party's leader Alex Salmond from accusations of sexism. [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. She was unsuccessful, having been beaten by almost 15,000 votes by Labour. 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. 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. ", "Missed funerals and helicopter transfers as ferries misery grows", "Ferries fiasco blamed on 'significant operational failures', "400m estimate for ferries as expert demands public inquiry", "Nicola Sturgeon: Buck stops with me over ferry contract row", "Official Report: First Minister's Question Time", "Sturgeon defends ferries contract decision", "Yesterday, Keith Brown was quizzed on the Ferguson Marine ferry deal- telling @C4Ciaran "that document, the one that signed it off, if it ever existed, is not now available", "Permanent secretary demands 'rigorous' record-keeping after ferries missing document", "Jack McConnell claims SNP may have 'broken law' over missing ferry paperwork", "Scotland's leader starts a campaign for a new independence vote", "Nicola Sturgeon unveils case for Scottish independence", "Sturgeon plans to hold second Scottish independence referendum in October 2023", "Sturgeon plots alternative route to Scottish independence vote next year", "Boris Johnson Rejects Nicola Sturgeon's Call For A Second Independence Referendum", "Scotland announces plan for independence vote in October 2023", "Nicola Sturgeon takes Indyref2 to Supreme Court as Scotland will 'not be prisoner of Boris Johnson', "Scottish independence: 19 October 2023 proposed as date for referendum", "Nicola Sturgeon launches third independence paper: full speech", "Nicola Sturgeon promises new 'Scottish pound' and no passports to visit England - as she lays out economic plan for independence", "Scottish pound: Independent Scotland would introduce new currency", "First Minister: Independence "essential" to Scotland's prosperity", "Independence will rid Scotland of UK economic chaos, says Nicola Sturgeon", "Supreme court rules against Scottish parliament holding new independence referendum", "SNP will treat next UK general election as 'de facto referendum', Sturgeon says", "We'll find another way to Scottish independence - Nicola Sturgeon", "Scottish opposition parties reject SNP's plan to treat election as referendum", "Angus MacNeil: Why we should hold a Holyrood election as a vote on independence", "Nicola Sturgeon makes gender recognition pledge", "SNP civil war deepens as leading Sturgeon critic Joanna Cherry purged from Westminster team", "Scottish transgender reforms put on hold", "Transgender reforms shelved due to coronavirus pandemic", "Trans rights: How gender recognition reform became one of Scotland's most heated debates", "Nicola Sturgeon facing backlash over proposed gender legislation", "Nicola Sturgeon dismisses concerns over gender reforms as 'not valid', "Nicola Sturgeon says gender reform row will go to court", Nicola Sturgeon's gender conundrum: Is Isla Bryson a man or a woman, "Nicola Sturgeon says time is right to resign as Scotland's first minister", "Nicola Sturgeon resigns as First Minister after eight years at top of Scottish politics", "Nicola Sturgeon resigns: Indyref2 is in a perilous position with no clear successor for first minister", "Health boards told to fill 15 million cut in funding for drug and alcohol care", "Proposed cuts on funding for drug and alcohol rehabilitation in Scotland", "Drug deaths in Scotland rose by 23% in 2016", "Scotland's drug deaths rise to new record", "Sturgeon: We took our eye off the ball on drug deaths", "Deaths among homeless people in Scotland up 10%", "Drug deaths in Scotland reach new record level", "Scotland: Drug deaths hit record level for seventh year in a row here's what the data shows", "Nicola Sturgeon accused of ignoring drug deaths epidemic in Scotland", "Scottish government under pressure as drug deaths fell by just nine in 2021", "Drug deaths in Scotland fall by one per cent but are still second highest ever recorded", "Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish education 'not good enough', "Nicola Sturgeon: Judge me on education record", "Attainment gap remains wide and better education data needed | Audit Scotland", "School attainment gap 'remains wide', watchdog warns", "Schulz empfngt Schottin Sturgeon zu Gesprch ber Brexit-Folgen", "Nicola Sturgeon says 'difficult' Theresa May will struggle with Brexit talks", "Nicola Sturgeon calls for united front to protect devolution", "Nicola Sturgeon breaks convention to back Hillary Clinton in Presidential race", "Sturgeon 'will not be silent' over Trump", "Nicola Sturgeon congratulates Donald Trump on inauguration", "Nicola Sturgeon 'let women down' by posing with anti-abortion politician", "Taking Back the House, Vol. 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. This is what arguably the only figure prepared to take on the cult of Yesism at the climax of the referendum discovered. The defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign in the referendum resulted in the resignation of Salmond as leader of the SNP and first minister. Sturgeon grew up in Prestwick and in the village of Dreghorn, in a terraced council house, which her parents bought through the right-to-buy scheme. Alex Salmond, the departing leader, preached a rousing sermon and anointed his successor, Nicola Sturgeon, amid great fervour. [156] On 23 March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Sturgeon ordered Scotland into "lockdown", limiting the reasons why people may leave their homes in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus, to protect the health of the population, and to ease the pressure the virus placed on NHS Scotland services and workforce. Nicola Sturgeon has: Played herself in "Question Time" in 1979. [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. In line with Government guidance, she completed a self-isolation period.[339]. The victims of drugs and their families were failed. Shortly after being elected, Sturgeon appointed John Swinney to the newly created position of Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery. 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. "If she wants to show leadership on climate she must clearly say: stop Cambo. [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. [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. In a letter to Nicola Sturgeon, he said . "[252], In 2015, Sturgeon said that she planned to make education her "defining priority" while in office. Bryson was sent to a women's prison before being moved to a men's prison. [citation needed], Sturgeon attended Dreghorn Primary School from 1975 to 1982 and Greenwood Academy from 1982 to 1988. [76] Following the defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign, Salmond announced his resignation as First Minister and Leader of the SNP. She is the eldest child of her parents, Robin and Joanne Sturgeon. [66] Sturgeon said the Scottish Government would "not wait" for Westminster to build a high-speed line to Scotland. Absolutely not, there's no man I know who is less sexist. [273] In recent years, following the defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign in 2014 Scottish Independence referendum, Sturgeon has aligned herself with the new gradualist wing, who believe in only holding a second referendum if there is clear public support, such as polling being over 60%, or if there is a material change in circumstances. "The First Minister must stop hiding behind Boris Johnson," a spokesperson for the organisation said. She also served as a member of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee and the Health and Community Care Committee. [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. The national mission is failing. Sturgeon kicked off her election campaign pledging that a strong result for the SNP would "reinforce" her mandate for a second independence referendum. The First Minister stated:"Anti-Catholic discrimin. [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. [328][329] She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2014. Their poverty had been alleviated by post-1945 British reforms. [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. [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. 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". [211] She argued that her government had an "indisputable mandate" for a second Scottish independence referendum. [100], The departure of Kenny MacAskill and Michael Russell signalled a generational shift away from the 79 group. 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. The cosmopolitan outlook which membership of a vibrant world faith gave to Scots Catholics is fading. [105] Sturgeon had stated that the party's success in the election was not a mandate for another independence referendum, but primarily for a stronger voice for Scotland in London. 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. 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. Anthony Horan, director of the Catholic Parliamentary . [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. [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. [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. She is the first woman to hold either position. [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. [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. Mr Swinney announced on Thursday his plans to step down when a new first minister is appointed, bringing to an end his near-16 year career at the top of the Scottish Government. Sturgeon apologised for being overexcited although expressed that she was celebrating Amy Callaghan's win. 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. [80] She also opined that Scottish independence was a matter of "when, not if". Labour refused to support the bill as they claimed it failed to tackle windfall profit from alcohol retailers. By the looks of it, Nicola Sturgeon religion is Catholic. Some will see this as the acquisition of belated self-confidence by a submerged community. Across Scotland, 62% of voters backed the UK remaining a member of the EU, with 38% voting for the UK to leave. [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. ", "The triumph of Nicola Sturgeon | Ian Jack", "Nicola Sturgeon: 'The most dangerous woman in Britain? [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. ", "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? Overall, it concluded that ministers "could have been better prepared to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic". [102], Sturgeon's cabinet was 50/50 gender balance, with five men and five women, including herself. Nicola Sturgeon Net Worth, Salary, Income, Set to resign as Scottish First Minister. From 18 November until her official appointment on 20 November, she served as the acting First Minister, essentially the First Minister-elect. [53] Sturgeon stated that there was "no immediate threat to public health in Scotland", but added, "monitoring of those who have been in close contact with the two people is also being carried out as an additional precaution. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Nicola Sturgeon . John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon "wrestled" with the idea of leaving at the same time, the Deputy First Minister has said. [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". 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. This also made her First Minister-Designate, given the SNP's absolute majority in the Scottish Parliament. [161] Many had been infected with the virus and ended up passing it on to other care home residents. We believe in the free flow of. "[291][292], Ahead of the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Sturgeon pledged to review and reform the way that trans people change their legal gender. The Catholicism of the Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy has attracted some attention this week against a backdrop of fascinating political developments in Scotland. [337], In 2016, Sturgeon disclosed that she had miscarried five years previously. [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. Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon is a Scottish politician who has served as the countrys First Minister since 2014. [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. But he may have swayed enough members of the community to prevent a complete swing to separatism. The first minister was answering a question from Labour MSP Pauline O'Neill about "anti-Irish and anti-Catholic prejudice" in Scotland after arrests were made in the wake of . 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. Feb 15, 2023 Nicola Sturgeon being catholic has been a major turn-up on the internet, as the Scottish politician has condemned anti-catholic prejudice. "[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. Furthermore, they concluded that the Scottish Government had awarded the contracts without normal financial safeguards and presided over a "multitude of failings". [224][225] Unionist parties have rejected this characterisation. [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". 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. [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. [272], An advocate for Scottish independence, Sturgeon has campaigned for independence from the United Kingdom since her late teens. [42] Ultimately, Salmond formed a minority government and he was appointed First Minister of Scotland. [160], During the early stages of the pandemic 1,300 elderly hospital patients were transferred into care homes without receiving a negative coronavirus test result. [12] Her family has some roots in North East England; her paternal grandmother, Margaret Sturgeon (ne Mill), was from Ryhope in what is now the City of Sunderland. [28] On 24 June 2004, Sturgeon announced that she would also be a candidate in the forthcoming election for the leadership, with Kenny MacAskill as her running mate. [149] Among the election casualties was Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson, who lost her seat in East Dunbartonshire. She launched her programme for government, the Better Health, Better Care: Action Plan, which settled a new vision for NHS Scotland. Others, myself included, glimpse the triumph of a new form of passivity skilfully managed by the ruling centre. Despite being a Roman Catholic, some of his roughest receptions were in places with deep Irish associations such as Motherwell. But now these Scots are mainstream. Sturgeon had already announced the compulsory wearing of face masks in corridors . [256], While foreign policy remains a reserved matter,[257] Sturgeon has undertaken a number of visits to Europe, North America and Asia to promote Scotland as a place of investment and Scottish businesses to trade and do business with. by Anthony Horan in News. She also said that the result "renews, reinforces and strengthens" the mandate for Indyref2.[154]. It is a scar on the conscience of this Scottish Government. [15] She developed a passion for books and reading which continued into adult life. [330] In 2015, BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour assessed Sturgeon to be the most powerful and influential woman in the United Kingdom. "[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. [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. [121] Sturgeon said it was "democratically unacceptable" that Scotland could be taken out of the EU "against its will".[122]. 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. [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. [91], Although Salmond officially tendered his resignation as First Minister on 18 November 2014, Sturgeon was not sworn in until two days later. Nicola Sturgeon denied taking a different approach to Scotland fans last week travelling to London to Rangers fans when they celebrated their league win. Yes, I think that is true. [321], Sturgeon was elected leader of the SNP at a time the party enjoyed a surge in membership. Her grandmother married Robert Sturgeon, an Ayr gardener, at St Pauls Parish Church. [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. [217] She asked Scotland's Lord Advocate to consider referring the matter to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to rule if the Scottish Government has the power to host a referendum without the Government of the United Kingdom's approval, this request has since been granted. It is absolutely crushing. "Based on this experience, Health Protection Scotland has expressed the view that sustained community transmission appears to be taking place. In 2004, Sturgeon announced she would stand as a candidate for the leadership of the SNP; however, she later withdrew from the contest in favour of Alex Salmond, standing instead as depute (deputy) leader on a joint ticket with Salmond. "[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. On Salmond's resignation, Sturgeon said: The personal debt of gratitude I owe Alex is immeasurable. [48], As Health Secretary, Sturgeon became more widely known internationally for her handling of the 2009 flu pandemic. [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] [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". [55] Authorities in both Scotland and England stated that there were no plans to trace the fellow airline passengers who may have travelled alongside the couple, since the authorities do not classify them as "close contacts". 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. [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. [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. Affiliated with the Scottish National Party, she took office in 2007 as Deputy First Minister of Scotland. [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. "[59] Four days later, a Scottish woman with underlying health conditions died at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. From her family background, we can say that Nicola is Christian. Nicola Sturgeon is the current (2015) First Minister. [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.