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Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Nicola Sturgeon: My miscarriage, sexuality and the day I was arrested
Eight days out of office, the novelty of a long lie-in hadn't worn off. At 7am on April 5, 2023, I was still in bed, half-asleep and only vaguely aware that my husband Peter had gone downstairs to answer the door. It was with a sense of utter disbelief that I realised the police were in my home, that they had a warrant to arrest my husband and search the house. I was in despair, struggling to comprehend what had happened. It didn't help that a few hours later what seemed like the entirety of the UK's media was camped outside. For days, I didn't step out the front door. I had only just started to recover a sense of equilibrium when another bombshell dropped. On April 19, the SNP's Treasurer, Colin Beattie, was also arrested. The media was full of speculation that, as party leader, I would be next. I felt like I had fallen into the plot of a dystopian novel. I tried to live my life as normally as I could, reminding myself that I had done nothing wrong. But I woke up at the crack of dawn every day, having barely slept, with my stomach in knots, wondering if this would be the day it happened. When it eventually did happen, I was horrified and devastated, though also relieved in a strange sort of way. At least the ordeal of waiting was over. Arrangements were made for me to attend a police station on Sunday, June 11. At that point, a depth of resilience I didn't know I had kicked in. The day before attending at the police station, I passed the theory section of my driving test. My first instinct had been to cancel, but, in deciding not to, I did what has helped pull me through ever since. Passing my driving test has to be one of my proudest achievements, and not just because I did it at 53. The circumstances I did it in bordered on surreal. My early lessons took place with the media still outside my house. My brilliant instructor was unflappable. He would arrive to pick me up in the full glare of media scrutiny. I would steel myself to open my front door, get into the car and drive away, with the cameras recording my every move. Sunday, June 11, was the worst day of my life. Being arrested and questioned by the police is an experience I'm not sure I will ever get over. When I eventually left the police station, late that afternoon, I was in a bad state mentally. I went to a friend's house in the northeast of Scotland and stayed for a week. It was during a heatwave, and yet I was stuck inside, terrified that the media would find me. I badly needed peace and quiet, time to piece myself back together. I spent hours, looking out across the North Sea. At first, I wanted to somehow disappear into its vastness. Slowly but surely, though, the sea calmed me. As I watched the tide go in and out, I thought about the people who might have sat there a century ago, watching the same tides, feeling that they too had the weight of the world on their shoulders, and of those who would do so again, decades from now. It gave me some perspective. When I eventually returned home, a new normality kicked in. It was obviously impossible to put it all out of my mind. I carried a sense of dread and anxiety about what might lie ahead. For almost a year, aside from stories about the investigation appearing in the media (sourced from where, I don't know), nothing happened. And then, in April 2024, almost exactly one year on from the search of our home, Peter was re-arrested and, this time, charged. It was another dark moment in what felt like a nightmare with no end. Even so, it did bring me a brief glimmer of hope. Would I now be formally cleared? It took only a few hours for that possibility to be extinguished. A statement issued by the Crown Office confirmed that the investigation into me was ongoing. I was distraught. I couldn't understand why it was taking so long for the justice system to accept what I knew beyond doubt to be true. I had not committed any crime. I also didn't know how much longer I could cope. The investigation was the first thing I thought about when I woke up in the morning and the last thing in my mind before I fell asleep (if I fell asleep) at night. On some days, I could lock it away and carry on, almost as if everything was normal. On others, it paralysed me. I was frightened. The rational part of my brain told me that as I had done nothing wrong, there could, by definition, be no evidence to the contrary. But the longer it dragged on, the more scared and paranoid I became. I worried that the 'system' might reach the conclusion that I was guilty of something. Or, at the very least, that I would be forced to prove my innocence in court. I felt embarrassed, ashamed even. Not because of anything I had actually done, but because of what many people would suspect I had done. I accept that the police and Crown Office were doing their jobs. I retain both faith in and respect for our country's criminal justice system. However, none of that changes this fact: being the subject of a high-profile criminal investigation for almost two years, especially having committed no crime, was like a form of mental torture. The moment of exoneration arrived, finally, on March 20, 2025. It was a day of deeply mixed emotions. Peter appeared in court, and, of course, nothing I say here is meant as commentary on the situation he is in. However, around the middle of the day, my lawyer called with confirmation that the investigation was over and I would face no further action. I came off the phone and burst into tears. The feeling of relief, and release, was overwhelming. My husband Peter never put pressure on me, but I knew how much he wanted to be a dad. I was more ambivalent. All through my thirties, I waited for an uncontrollable biological urge to kick in, but it never happened. What kicked in, instead, was an awareness that I was reaching the 'now or never' stage of my life; a creeping anxiety that I would wake up one morning when it was too late to do anything about it and find myself full of regret. For me, then, it was a case of wanting to be able to tell myself that we had tried, even if it turned out that it wasn't meant to be. What actually happened is that I got pregnant very quickly. By mid-October 2010, we found ourselves in an Edinburgh hotel room, looking at a positive pregnancy test. Peter was ecstatic. I wanted to be. I told him I was. But — and I still feel so guilty about this — I was deeply conflicted. In truth, as a woman of 40, I had assumed that if I got pregnant at all, it would take much longer. In my stupid, work-obsessed mind the timing couldn't have been worse. By the Scottish election, I would be six months pregnant. It may seem hard to believe now, but even in 2010 it wasn't obvious how voters would react to a heavily pregnant candidate. Was I jeopardising my chances of re-election? Worse, given my position as Deputy First Minister, was I risking the party's chances? I was riven by practical worries too. How would I cope? Elections are exhausting. Would I be able to do my job, never mind help lead an election campaign? These thoughts obliterated any sense of happiness that I might have felt. I was overwhelmed by guilt. I felt guilty about being pregnant, about not feeling happier about being pregnant, about not being as happy as Peter was, about hiding that from him. Later, what I would feel most guilty about were the days I had wished I wasn't pregnant. There's still a part of me that sees what happened as my punishment for that. We decided we would tell our families on Christmas Day. Naturally, they were over the moon, and their excitement rubbed off. I started to feel better, happier. The nausea also abated. I didn't realise then, of course, that this was because the pregnancy had already ended. On the morning of December 30, I noticed some spots of blood. I'd probably have ignored it but for an appointment I had that day with the GP for my flu jab. Since I was there anyway, I decided to mention it to her. I was expecting her to tell me it was nothing to worry about. Instead, she made an urgent appointment at the early pregnancy clinic at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and that is where Peter and I spent the morning of Hogmanay 2010. I think I'd known in my heart what the outcome would be, but I was still hoping for the best. It seemed that suddenly, belatedly, I wanted to be pregnant after all. The nurse who did the scan was lovely. I didn't really know what I was looking for on the screen, but her face told me what I needed to know. The baby was gone. We were taken into a side room and the nurse explained what we should expect. It was all very matter of fact. For four days I was in constant agony, the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced. And yet still, amidst it all, I went to work. On January 3, I attended a memorial service at Rangers Football Club in my constituency, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Ibrox disaster, and went from there to visit the NHS24 call centre to thank staff for their efforts over the festive period. There is a photo of me from that day that I find impossible to look at, the pain and anguish etched on my face. Eventually, four days later, during the evening of January 4, 2011, the pregnancy 'passed'. I had the presence of mind to call Peter into the bathroom and, together, we flushed our 'baby' down the toilet. We later resolved to try again, but I knew then that we had lost our one chance. I was desolate and heartbroken for myself, but more so for Peter. I was consumed by guilt all over again, convinced that it was all my fault, that the stress of worrying about the impact on the election had caused the miscarriage; that I was being punished for not wanting the baby badly enough, for having even wished it away. These feelings have never quite left me. I have always believed our baby would have been a girl. We would have called her Isla. Her middle name would have been Margaret, after my gran and Peter's mum. She would be in her early teens now, possibly causing us all sorts of trouble. I don't want to give the impression that I am full of regret at not having children. I'm not. If I could turn the clock back and make it so, I would choose to have a child, but only if I could still do the other things I've been able to do too. I don't feel that my life is worth less. But I do deeply regret not getting the chance to be Isla's mum. It might not make sense, but she feels real to me. And I know that I will mourn her for the rest of my life. In the early weeks of 2020, there was an issue gnawing away in the background. I was starting to get under my skin. For some time, social media had been awash with 'rumours' that I was having a secret relationship with a woman. There were slightly different versions of the story, but the consistent theme seemed to be that I was having a torrid lesbian affair with the woman who was at that time the French ambassador to the UK, and who would later become the French Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna. In one of the variants of the story, there had been a violent encounter between us, involving an iron, in Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel. We had also supposedly set up a love nest, in a house in Bridge of Allan, that I had bought from Andy Murray's mum, Judy. Normally, I wouldn't have known nor cared about wild stories from the darker recesses of social media, and, if this one had stayed there, it would have been easy to ignore. But by late 2019 it was being openly talked about. My family and friends were being asked about it by people who'd heard it in their local pub. Colleagues were being asked about it on doorsteps. One of our neighbours in Glasgow mentioned it, obliquely, to Peter, presumably thinking he had a right to know that his wife was having an affair. It reached a head in February 2020, when the social media site Guido Fawkes tweeted to the effect that a salacious story about my private life was only still secret because I had a superinjunction in place to stop it being reported. I was furious. It was a blatant lie. Not only was there no superinjunction in place, but such a legal remedy isn't even available in Scots law. Shortly after, the all-consuming focus on Covid put a stop to the rumour, but only for a while. It would resurface a few months later. I had little option but to shrug it off, however irritating it might have been. Catherine, the French ambassador, helped. She was aware of the rumours too and, the first time I saw her after lockdown, at a meeting of EU ambassadors in the Scottish government's London office, we laughed about it. We were photographed together a couple of times after that, at Cop27 in Egypt, for example, and the online frenzy which ensued suggested that we had successfully trolled the trolls. Although the French ambassador and I could laugh about it, a saga like this does throw up serious issues. How do fake stories like this take root in social media? Did some Russian bot factory concoct a made-up story? Who knows? Then, of course, there is the blatant homophobia at the heart of the 'story'. For many of those peddling it, 'lesbian' and 'gay' are meant as insults. However, while the fact I was being lied about got under my skin, the nature of the insult itself was water off a duck's back. Long-term relationships with men have accounted for more than thirty years of my life, but I have never considered sexuality, my own included, to be binary. Moreover, sexual relationships should be private matters. © Nicola Sturgeon 2025. Extracted from Frankly by Nicola Sturgeon (Macmillan £28), published on Thursday. To order a copy go to Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members. Nicola Sturgeon discusses her memoir with Cathy Newman at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London SE1, on August 29;
Scotsman
17-06-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Musselburgh and Midlothian care homes enjoy ‘The Big Summer Weekender' with local community and MSP
Drummohr Care Home, located in Wallyford, Musselburgh, East Lothian, and Springfield Bank Care Home, located in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, run by HC-One Scotland, welcomed visitors and guests from their local community to participate in this year's Care Home Open Week celebrations from Monday 16th June until Sunday 22nd June 2025. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The home's main celebration events will take place during Care Home Open Weekend between Friday 20th June and Sunday 22nd June 2025. Care Home Open Week is a national event hosted by Championing Social Care, designed to connect care homes with their local week will offer care homes the opportunity to showcase their range of services, provide tours of their facilities, and highlight the activities that are offered to residents. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The event is also a reminder to the homes' neighbours that they are there if they need the week, residents, colleagues, families, and friends enjoyed a variety of fun-filled activities culminating in an end-of-week celebration at the homes. Colin Beattie, Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Midlothian North and Musselburgh at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home with Priscillah Musenga, Home Manager at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home and colleagues The event also sought to connect the homes with their neighbours, highlighting the communal support that the homes can provide. HC-One Scotland's chosen theme for this year's Care Home Open Week was 'The Big Summer Weekender' emulating the nostalgic feel of British summer holidays with a variety of fun-filled activities culminating in an end-of-week celebration at the homes. On Monday 16th June, Drummohr and Springfield Bank Care Homes welcomed in Colin Beattie, Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Midlothian North and Musselburgh. The homes and members of the local community came together to celebrate summertime memories, past and present, and hosted a fabulous Summer Weekender event. Residents and colleagues of the HC-One Scotland owned care homes enjoyed meeting their MSP, Colin Beattie, and chatting to him about what life is like at Drummohr and Springfield Bank Care Homes – which are an integral part of their local Wallyford and Bonnyrigg communities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad MSP Colin Beattie enjoyed a tour round Drummohr's 60 bedded and Springfield Bank's 70 bedded nursing and nursing dementia care homes, including the hair salon, lounge, quiet room, hobby room, premier bedrooms and gardens. Colin Beattie, Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Midlothian North and Musselburgh at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home with Priscillah Musenga, Home Manager at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home and colleagues Drummohr and Springfield Bank Care Homes hosted a Gala Day consisting of flower planting and a tea party. This week the home's open day theme has a 'Caribbean' twist where colleagues and residents will be dressed up for a Caribbean themed party to celebrate cultural diversity and foster community engagement. The event will also help raise awareness about Caribbean culture and history whilst offering a fun and colourful event. Drummohr and Springfield Bank Care Homes were adorned in a variety of summer themed decorations, emulating the nostalgic feel of British summer holidays past and present provided a perfect setting for everyone to come together as a community, and to learn more about life at the care homes. As well as providing a space for existing relatives and residents to celebrate life at the homes, visitors were encouraged to hear directly from colleagues in the homes about what a rewarding career in care looks like as well as opportunities for community engagement and about the volunteering roles on offer within the homes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Priscillah Musenga, Home Manager at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home, commented: Colin Beattie, Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Midlothian North and Musselburgh at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home with Priscillah Musenga, Home Manager at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home and colleagues 'Care Home Open Week is a fantastic opportunity for us to celebrate the vibrant communities we've built here at Drummohr and Springfield Bank. It's a time to open our doors, share the incredible stories of our residents and colleagues, and showcase the compassionate, person-centred care that defines HC-One.'' Rhiannon Steele, Home Manager at HC-One's Scotland's Springfield Bank Care Home, continued: 'We're proud to be part of a national event that helps challenge perceptions of care homes and highlights the joy, connection, and warmth at the heart of what we do every day. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It was great to welcome MSP Colin Beattie to our homes. Everyone had a great time, chatting and discussing key issues they care about and what actions can be taken to overcome them.'' Colin Beattie, Member of Scottish Parliament for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, said: 'It was a pleasure to visit both Drummohr and Springfield Bank Care Homes and meet with the residents and the dedicated staff who care for them. The warmth and positivity throughout both homes was truly uplifting. I want to thank the staff for accommodating me and for their compassion and commitment – they are a credit to our community.'
Scotsman
17-06-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Musselburgh and Midlothian care homes enjoy ‘The Big Summer Weekender' with local community and MSP
Drummohr Care Home, located in Wallyford, Musselburgh, and Springfield Bank Care Home, located in Bonnyrigg, run by HC-One Scotland, welcomed visitors and guests from their local community to participate in this year's Care Home Open Week celebrations from Monday, June 16 until Sunday, June 22. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The homes main celebration events will take place during Care Home Open Weekend between Friday, June 20 and Sunday, June 2. Care Home Open Week is a national event hosted by Championing Social Care, designed to connect care homes with their local week will offer care homes the opportunity to showcase their range of services, provide tours of their facilities, and highlight the activities that are offered to residents. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The event is also a reminder to the homes' neighbours that they are there if they need the week, residents, colleagues, families, and friends enjoyed a variety of fun-filled activities culminating in an end-of-week celebration at the homes. Colin Beattie, Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Midlothian North and Musselburgh at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home with Priscillah Musenga, Home Manager at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home and colleagues The event also sought to connect the homes with their neighbours, highlighting the communal support that the homes can provide. HC-One Scotland's chosen theme for this year's Care Home Open Week was 'The Big Summer Weekender' emulating the nostalgic feel of British summer holidays with a variety of fun-filled activities culminating in an end-of-week celebration at the homes. On Monday, June 16, Drummohr and Springfield Bank Care Homes welcomed in Colin Beattie, Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Midlothian North and Musselburgh. The homes and members of the local community came together to celebrate summertime memories, past and present, and hosted a fabulous Summer Weekender event. Residents and colleagues of the HC-One Scotland owned care homes enjoyed meeting their MSP, Colin Beattie, and chatting to him about what life is like at Drummohr and Springfield Bank Care Homes – which are an integral part of their local Wallyford and Bonnyrigg communities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad MSP Colin Beattie enjoyed a tour round Drummohr's 60 bedded and Springfield Bank's 70 bedded nursing and nursing dementia care homes, including the hair salon, lounge, quiet room, hobby room, premier bedrooms and gardens. Colin Beattie, Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Midlothian North and Musselburgh at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home with Priscillah Musenga, Home Manager at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home and colleagues Drummohr and Springfield Bank Care Homes hosted a Gala Day consisting of flower planting and a tea party. This week the home's open day theme has a 'Caribbean' twist where colleagues and residents will be dressed up for a Caribbean themed party to celebrate cultural diversity and foster community engagement. The event will also help raise awareness about Caribbean culture and history whilst offering a fun and colourful event. Drummohr and Springfield Bank Care Homes were adorned in a variety of summer themed decorations, emulating the nostalgic feel of British summer holidays past and present provided a perfect setting for everyone to come together as a community, and to learn more about life at the care homes. As well as providing a space for existing relatives and residents to celebrate life at the homes, visitors were encouraged to hear directly from colleagues in the homes about what a rewarding career in care looks like as well as opportunities for community engagement and about the volunteering roles on offer within the homes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Priscillah Musenga, Home Manager at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home, commented: 'Care Home Open Week is a fantastic opportunity for us to celebrate the vibrant communities we've built here at Drummohr and Springfield Bank. It's a time to open our doors, share the incredible stories of our residents and colleagues, and showcase the compassionate, person-centred care that defines HC-One.'' Colin Beattie, Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Midlothian North and Musselburgh at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home with Priscillah Musenga, Home Manager at HC-One Scotland's Drummohr Care Home and colleagues Rhiannon Steele, Home Manager at HC-One's Scotland's Springfield Bank Care Home, continued: 'We're proud to be part of a national event that helps challenge perceptions of care homes and highlights the joy, connection, and warmth at the heart of what we do every day. 'It was great to welcome MSP Colin Beattie to our homes. Everyone had a great time, chatting and discussing key issues they care about and what actions can be taken to overcome them.'' Colin Beattie, Member of Scottish Parliament for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, said: 'It was a pleasure to visit both Drummohr and Springfield Bank Care Homes and meet with the residents and the dedicated staff who care for them. The warmth and positivity throughout both homes was truly uplifting. I want to thank the staff for accommodating me and for their compassion and commitment – they are a credit to our community.'
Scotsman
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
SNP names Edinburgh and Lothians constituency candidates for 2026 Holyrood elections
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now Two SNP MSPs who were facing possible deselection have won the battle to stand again at next year's Scottish Parliament elections. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Edinburgh Northern & Leith MSP Ben Macpherson saw off a challenge from former Edinburgh council leader Adam Nols-McVey to become the candidate for the new seat of Edinburgh North Eastern & Leith. And Midlothian North & Musselburgh MSP Colin Beattie, the former SNP treasurer questioned in the long-running investigation into SNP finances but cleared of any wrongdoing, will stand for the redrawn Midlothian North constituency despite a bid by Midlothian council leader Kelly Parry for the seat. Sitting MSPs Ben Macpherson and Colin Beattie were both reselected for next year's elections despite challenges | collage Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The SNP released a full list of all its constituency candidates for the 2026 Holyrood elections after local votes by party members across the country to decide who would stand in their area. Candidates for the regional lists will be chosen later. Edinburgh council SNP group leader Simita Kumar was selected in Edinburgh South Western, formerly Edinburgh Pentlands, where current MSP Gordon MacDonald is retiring. Former Edinburgh housing convener Kate Campbell was chosen for the new Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh & Tranent seat, where sitting MSP Ash Regan defected from the SNP to Alba. And Euan Hyslop, SNP education spokesman on the council, was chosen to fight the new Edinburgh Northern constituency. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad East Lothian SNP group leader Lyn Jardine will be the candidate in Edinburgh North Western and Sally Donald in Edinburgh Southern. Culture Secretary Angus Robertson was reselected for Edinburgh Central, Justice Secretary Angela Constance for Almond Valley and Housing Minister Paul McLennan in the newly-named East Lothian Coast & Lammermuirs. Former MP Martyn Day, who represented Linlithgow and East Falkirk at Westminster from 2015 until 2024,will now try to win the same seat at Holyrood. West Lothian SNP deputy group leader Pauline Stafford will fight the new Bathgate seat. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And former MP, Calum Kerr, who represented Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk from 2015 to 2017, is the new candidate for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, where veteran MSP Christine Grahame is retiring. Angus Robertson, chair of the SNP's election campaign committee, said: "I am delighted the Scottish National Party has selected a group of brilliant, talented and diverse candidates to take forward our positive vision for Scotland's future at next year's Scottish Parliament elections. "Under John Swinney's leadership, the SNP will be offering the people of Scotland the opportunity to vote for party laser focussed on creating a vibrant economy in every part of our country, tackling the challenges faced by our public services, and creating a better future for everyone who lives here. "When people go to the ballot box next year, they can be assured that a vote for the SNP is a vote for a party who will always be on Scotland's side."
The Herald Scotland
06-05-2025
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
New Bill introduced to regulate cosmetic filler industry
Those who provide the procedures would also have to adhere to certain standards. The legislation will be introduced in the Scottish Parliament before the election next year. It was one of the five non-financial Bills confirmed by John Swinney's Programme for Government on Tuesday. READ MORE: Colin Beattie re-selected as SNP candidate after Branchform probe Alcohol ban on trains to be lifted, John Swinney announces Snus-style pouches will be included in 'smokefree generation' law, says minister In December, the government launched a consultation on regulating non-surgical cosmetic procedures. At the time, Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said the practice is growing popular, saying: 'It is increasingly visible on our high streets, however, the sector is not currently fully regulated. 'The Scottish Government is concerned about the resulting undue level of risk for clients. 'Anyone undergoing cosmetic procedures has a right to expect that they will be carried out by appropriately trained practitioners using reputable products and in hygienic premises. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.' She said some people had 'traumatic experiences' when such procedures go wrong. As the sector is not fully regulated anyone can carry out the procedures without formal training. The consultation said injectable substances such as Botox and dermal fillers can be used in non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Licensing of cosmetic injections was first considered by the Government in 2020.
