#ms-sturgeon

#ms-sturgeon

The SNP are hoping to strike a backroom deal with Labour to secure a second independence referendum, the Scottish Tory deputy leader has said.Meghan Gallacher insisted any such deal would be sleekit a Scots word which means crafty or deceitful as she warned Labour would be weak on the Union if Sir Keir Starmer does not win a majority in the next general election.

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf has said that support for the SNP is going from strength to strength, despite the turmoil the party has faced in recent weeks.But he said I will never, ever be complacent, with a general election likely next year, as he led a national campaigning day to mark one month of his leadership of the SNP.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has called for a Holyrood election to be called after Nicola Sturgeon's successor takes office.The SNP leadership race will come to an end on Monday, with the new first minister officially elected at Holyrood on Tuesday and sworn in at the Court of Session the following day.

Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation with support for Scottish independence at 46%, a poll has suggested.The poll, conducted just before Ms Sturgeon gave her resignation speech at Bute House, also found 48% said things are going in the wrong direction for Scotland.This represented an increase from 39% who said things are going in the wrong direction when the same poll was conducted in November.

Nicola Sturgeon says she has enormous confidence' the SNP will choose someone of ability to replace her as SNP leader.She spoke just minutes after Kate Forbes entered the SNP leadership contest, joining Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan.The First Minister spoke highly of the three declared candidates and said she wanted a thoroughly positive debate.

Humza Yousaf has expressed concern over using the general election as a de facto referendum on Scottish independence.The Health Secretary officially launched his campaign to replace Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and First Minister at Clydebank on Monday.Following the Supreme Court ruling that Holyrood could not legislate on a referendum without Westminster's consent, Ms Sturgeon outlined her intention to campaign for a pro-independence majority at the UK-wide election, due to be held next year.

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon was being calculated when she described the troubles in the SNP since she stepped down as her worst nightmare, Douglas Ross has claimed.The Scottish Conservative leader said: I've always thought every decision and action taken by Nicola Sturgeon was calculated and I still think that to be the case.

Scottish Tories can provide the positive vision Scotland needs, Douglas Ross claimed as he said the country was at a crossroad as the Nicola Sturgeon era of Scottish politics comes crashing down.The Scottish Conservative leader set out his alternative vision for Scotland as he addressed his party's conference in Glasgow.

New First Minister Humza Yousaf vowed there could not be more unity in the SNP as he unveiled his first Cabinet which he said was the biggest reshuffle since 2007.Mr Yousaf said his new Cabinet, in which he gave top roles to his supporters, brings a mix of new faces and experience as junior ministers Jenny Gilruth, Neil Gray and Angela Constance have moved into Cabinet secretary positions and SNP stalwarts including Angus Robertson and Shirley-Anne Somerville remain.

Humza Yousaf has made history after being the first person from a minority ethnic background to become the First Minister of Scotland.The 37-year-old is also the youngest person to hold the post, after being voted in at the Scottish Parliament.He will be officially sworn in at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Humza Yousaf will be chosen by MSPs to be the sixth first minister of Scotland after narrowly defeating his rivals in the race to lead the SNP.The 37-year-old will become the youngest to win the job as one of the country's most powerful politicians when SNP and Scottish Green parliamentarians in Holyrood back him to take over from Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday.

Half of Scots think the country is heading in the wrong direction, a poll has found, as Nicola Sturgeon's more than eight-year rule as First Minister comes to an end.MSPs are expected to back Humza Yousaf to be Scotland's sixth first minister after he was named the new leader of the SNP at the end of an almost six-week campaign to succeed Ms Sturgeon.

Nicola Sturgeon has officially tendered her resignation as First Minister to the King and left Bute House for the final time.After eight years in the top job, Nicola Sturgeon last month announced she would step down when her successor had been chosen by SNP members.On Monday, Humza Yousaf was elected to the post and will likely be confirmed as first minister on Tuesday with Ms Sturgeon saying she will back his bid to succeed her.

Scotland's outgoing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said Humza Yousaf will be an outstanding successor as she congratulated him on his appointment as SNP leader.Mr Yousaf defeated the current Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan in what was the SNP's first leadership contest for almost 20 years.

Humza Yousaf is set to become Scotland's youngest first minister and the first person from a minority ethnic background to hold the post after he was elected SNP leader.After a sometimes fiery and divisive leadership contest, SNP members chose Mr Yousaf, 37, as their party's new leader, succeeding Nicola Sturgeon.

Running a country is a big job and Scotland's new first minister will come into the post with an in-tray that is already bulging.Top of their to-do list will be reuniting a party which has been rocked by a leadership election that even Nicola Sturgeon has described as being somewhat fractious.The candidates have clashed repeatedly throughout the campaign, but now need to find a way to work together.

Nicola Sturgeon is in the early stages of learning to drive as she prepares to stand aside as Scottish First Minister.The outgoing SNP leader described the move as being part and parcel of the next phase of life.It comes as she prepares to leave office after more than eight years at the helm of the Scottish Government.

Nicola Sturgeon is to face her final First Minister's Questions on Thursday after more than eight years as head of the Scottish Government.The leader of the SNP announced last month she was stepping down from her role at a press conference in Edinburgh, saying she no longer has the stamina to carry on in the pressured and demanding role.

As with any party leadership election, the SNP candidates for the top job set out their stalls to the party faithful.Over the past six weeks, they have made a number of promises which differ from the current plans of the Scottish Government, some of which will have spending implications.Other pledges relate to the SNP's push for Scottish independence and the internal functioning of the party.

Scottish health secretary Humza Yousaf will finally find out his fate in the SNP leadership contest today.Mr Yousaf has been standing in the tense five-week contest against Ash Regan and Kate Forbes after Nicola Sturgeon announced she would resign, and will find out if he wins at around 2pm on Monday.

Kate Forbes has said she hopes to negotiate with the Greens, despite suggestions the party could exit its powersharing agreement with the Scottish Government.The SNP leadership candidate said she is hopeful of continuing to work with the party as part of the Bute House Agreement if she is selected to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as first minister.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister has revealed he previously tried to leave the Scottish Government, but Nicola Sturgeon wouldn't countenance his offers.John Swinney said he offered to leave Government in 2016 and 2021, and that he also came incredibly close to resigning over the controversial system of exam moderation in 2020 during the pandemic.

Would-be first minister Humza Yousaf has pledged to work tirelessly to improve the rights of women and girls if he is elected to succeed Nicola Sturgeon.The current Scottish Health Secretary promised action to improve abortion care in Scotland.With some women having to travel to England for terminations later in pregnancy, Mr Yousaf said he would work to make abortion available up to 24 weeks, and would also consider decriminalising the procedure in this current parliamentary term.

An emotional Nicola Sturgeon has issued a sincere, heartfelt and unreserved apology to the thousands of women in Scotland who were forced to give up their babies for adoption.The apology, which the First Minister said was long overdue, was welcomed by all parties in Holyrood.Campaigners have now urged other governments within the UK to follow Scotland's lead.

Humza Yousaf hopes to have Nicola Sturgeon on speed dial if he is elected to replace her as SNP leader.The leadership hopeful has reiterated his admiration for the First Minister, who made her final speech in the role in Holyrood on Thursday.She will be replaced by either Mr Yousaf, Kate Forbes or Ash Regan when the ballot results are revealed on Monday.

Humza Yousaf has said he would drop his legal challenge of the blocking of gender reforms if Scotland's top law official said the government would lose.Mr Yousaf has previously been steadfast in his support for fighting the UK Government in court over the Section 35 order issued in January to block the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Nicola Sturgeon has chaired her final Cabinet meeting before leaving office next week.Ms Sturgeon will be succeeded as first minister by either Kate Forbes, Humza Yousaf or Ash Regan when the SNP leadership race comes to an end on Monday.According to a readout from the First Minister's office, Cabinet ministers paid tribute to the service of both her and Deputy First Minister John Swinney during the meeting which Ms Sturgeon said was the 637th under an SNP Government.

SNP leadership contender Humza Yousaf said his party should not restart the contest following criticism of its handling of a row over membership numbers.However, the Health Secretary conceded that the last 72 hours had been a difficult period for his party.It follows high-profile resignations of media chief Murray Foote and SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, who is First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's husband.

Scotland's First Minister has told how she attended a memorial service while still having a miscarriage.Nicola Sturgeon has been open about her baby loss experience in the past, but provided more detail in an interview on the ITV show Loose Women.Speaking to the hosts, the First Minister was asked how she could deal with such a traumatic experience and continue being a politician.

For almost a decade Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon have been the husband and wife team in charge of the SNP.But now Ms Sturgeon, who became both SNP leader and Scottish First Minister in 2014, is quitting those roles, while the contest to replace her has divided the party and seen her husband dramatically resign.