Latest news with #ex-Nats
Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Nicola Sturgeon says Queen asked for Alex Salmond sex claim ‘GOSSIP' as she gushes over ‘incredible' late monarch
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE late Queen asked for 'gossip' about the sexual misconduct scandal engulfing the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon has sensationally claimed. Details of the conversation with the monarch - which are typically kept private - is revealed in the former first minister's book, Frankly, which hit the shelves in Scotland early on Monday. 4 Nicola Sturgeon said the late Queen 'loved a bit of gossip' Credit: PA:Press Association 4 Nicola Sturgeon made the comments in her new memoirs, Frankly, which hit the shelves on Monday 4 Nicola Sturgeon pictured with her former mentor, the late Alex Salmond Credit: PA The ex-Nats leader said Queen Elizabeth immediately asked for details about the sexual harassment claims against Alex Salmond after they emerged in 2018. Ms Sturgeon said the Queen 'loved a bit of gossip' and asked about the case at an audience at Balmoral Castle in 2018 which she visited with husband Peter Murrell. And she wrote: 'She asked me about it almost as soon as I sat down. She wasn't being trivial in any way, she wanted to know more of what was going on. I think she was also trying to put me at ease.' Mr Salmond had been revealed to be under investigation by cops and the Scottish Government for sexual misconduct while First Minister - probes which sparked a collapse in his relationship with Ms Sturgeon. He was acquitted of sex offence charges in a high profile court case in 2021. The ex-First Minister said she found the late Monarch as 'utterly fascinating' and an 'incredible woman' in the book. She added she was 'struck by the aura' the Queen 'exuded as she entered the room' and praised her 'mystique' which she said no other Royal Family member had. And Ms Sturgeon said her time with the Queen was 'special'. She added: 'I am not a monarchist by instinct, but the private time I spent with the Queen ranks as one of the great privileges of my life. 'It was clear from our first meeting that she was an extraordinary woman.' But Ms Sturgeon insisted she was still a republican and found the experience of kneeling and kissing the Queen's hand when she joined the Privy Council as 'strange'. Nicola Sturgeon reveals her sexuality 'isn't binary' in bombshell new book And elsewhere in the book she blasts her experience with Prince William - saying she felt 'aggrieved' towards him after a meeting in the summer of 2021. She said she held a 'cordial' meeting with the future king where politics did not come up, only to learn he had held a private meeting with ex-PM and pro-union campaigner Gordon Brown at Holyrood Palace. The ex-Labour leader had set up an 'anti-independence think tank' and said the meeting 'inevitably raised questions'. She added that the defence of the meeting from the prince's office was 'to put it mildly, disingenuous'. 007 gave Sturgeon voice coaching By Conor Matchett NICOLA Sturgeon revealed she was trained to speak with more 'authority' by Scottish acting legend Sean Connery. The James Bond actor gave the ex-Nats leader voice coaching in 2004 around the time she was elected deputy leader of the SNP. She wrote how the pair met at the glitzy New Club in Edinburgh where he advised her to deepen her speaking voice. She said: 'There I was, under the instruction of 007 himself, pacing up and down the library of the New Club, with a folded piece of paper between my teeth, repeating sentences chosen, it seemed, for their particular combination of syllables, consonants and vowels." 'My voice slowed and deepened. The trick, in future, he told me, was that whenever I wanted to project authority I had to speak as if I had a piece of paper between my teeth. The latest revelations come as we told how allies of Alex Salmond last night accused Nicola Sturgeon of 'twisting the knife' into her dead ex-mentor and 'cashing in' on their infamous fall-out to flog her book. The late indy champion's friends also blamed Ms Sturgeon for cutting short his life by causing him stress ahead of his sudden death from a heart attack aged 69 last October. And they slammed her for attempts to 'rewrite history' and refusing to let the former SNP and Alba Party leader 'rest in peace' as part of her efforts to promote her new memoir. Sex beat climbdown after self-ID controversy By Conor Matchett THUGS like trans double rapist Isla Bryson should 'probably' not be able to choose their own gender, Nicola Sturgeon admitted. And the ex-First Minister finally conceded that the beast is a 'biological male' after years of dodging the question. Bryson — formerly Adam Graham - claimed to be transitioning after attacking two women and was initially sent to a female prison in January 2023. The move sparked fury while Ms Sturgeon's gender self-ID reforms were blocked in the same month by Westminster. And yesterday she admitted 'losing the dressing room' in the bid to let people change sex without medical or legal checks. Asked if Bryson was a woman, she replied: 'Isla Bryson identified as a woman.' But she added: 'Anybody who commits the most heinous male crime against women probably forfeits the right to be the gender of their choice.' Slamming her former boss, ex-SNP MSP Joan McAlpine said: 'Nicola couldn't bring herself to call Bryson a man. She needs to look again at photos of him in his pink leggings.' Scottish Tories leader Russell Findlay piled in: 'Nicola Sturgeon must be delusional if she thinks the women of Scotland will swallow this drivel.' The backlash came as Ms Sturgeon used an ITV interview promoting her book to claim Mr Salmond hadn't even bothered to read the key independence White Paper as she battled to finish off the crucial document in late 2013. Further details from her memoir — which hit the shelves three days early yesterday — told how she ultimately 'gave up on' trying to get Mr Salmond to read the full blueprint, claiming he was more bothered about a boozy trip to China. Ms Sturgeon also accused the political titan of trying to spin oil revenue forecasts central to the independence bid by 'taking them to the outer edges of credibility'.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Nicola Sturgeon ‘still friends' with disgraced text-pest Derek Mackay despite schoolboy scandal
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NICOLA Sturgeon still counts shamed ex-Nats minister Derek Mackay as a 'friend' him being outed for pestering a schoolboy with creepy text messages. Disgraced Mackay was forced to quit after The Scottish Sun exclusively revealed he was pestering a 16-year-old schoolboy with creepy text messages. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – FEBRUARY 21: Finance secretary Derek Mackay and First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon arrive at the Scottish Parliament during final stage of Scottish Budget on February 21, 2018 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The final debate on the Budget Bill took place ahead of the crucial vote at decision time later today. (Photo by […] Credit: Getty 4 270-online-messages-finance-secretary-917337482 Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk The former first minister said she went into 'a bit of denial' about the allegations and spared the then-finance chief the walk of shame past his colleagues. She also told how the disgraced Nat was 'chalk-white and almost totally uncommunicative' when she pressed him on the allegations. Ms Sturgeon wrote: 'I went into a bit of denial initially, thinking it couldn't possibly be true. Could it? 'Normally, if a minister got into bother, they'd be summoned to my office, but on this occasion, with some misplaced empathy perhaps, I felt I didn't want to put Derek through the ordeal of walking through my outer office, past staff who already had wind of what was afoot. 'So I went to find him instead. He was in his office, a copy of the budget speech he would never deliver sitting on the desk in front of him. He was chalk-white and almost totally uncommunicative.' But after our story went live, the ex-Nats chief said there was no doubt Mr Mackay had to quit his post. She wrote: 'I was back at Bute House when the Sun story went online, late that evening. I felt sick as I read it. 'The messages were published in full and were not open to benign interpretation. 'They would be seen by any objective reader as Derek trying to engineer reasons to meet with the boy and to strike up a relationship with him. 'Given the age difference and the power imbalance, it was impossible to describe the exchanges as anything other than inappropriate. I had received and accepted Derek's resignation within the hour.' Nicola Sturgeon admits mistake on gender ID battle in bombshell TV interview The former Finance Secretary was forced to quit in February 2020 when we revealed he told a 16-year-old lad he was 'cute' and invited him to dinner while bombarding him with 270 online messages. We told how Mackay pestered the lad in private on Instagram and Facebook over six months between August 2019 and February 2020 after contacting him out of the blue. At one point, powerful Mackay told the boy: 'And our chats are between us?' Opposition leaders at the time slammed Mackay's 'predatory' behaviour – though police ultimately did not take action – and now-ex SNP MP Joanna Cherry KC hit out at his 'totally unacceptable grooming behaviour'. Despite this, Ms Sturgeon claims she still considers Mr Mackay a 'friend' after he 'rightly paid the price' for his actions. She wrote: 'However, he had made a serious mistake and, rightly, paid the price. He eventually got his life back on track and, though it would be a few years before I spoke to him again, I still count him as a friend.' 4 08/08/2025 – SCOTLAND – The interview, conducted by Julie Etchingham, airs on Monday, 11 August at 7¿pm across ITV. This interview provides a rare chance to hear directly from Nicola Sturgeon following her resignation in March¿2023 and ahead of her memoir launch. It promises a blend of candor, introspection, and reflection on her political legacy, […] Credit: Unpixs
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Nicola Sturgeon makes shock Isla Bryson admission in another partial U-turn in new book
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NICOLA Sturgeon has admitted rapists like notorious criminal Isla Bryson should "probably" not be able to choose their own gender in another partial climbdown on her self-ID crusade. The ex First Minister's remarks come after she rejected opponents' pleas in 2022 to ban men who'd sexually assaulted women from being able to change the sex on their birth certificate simply by filling out a form. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 4 Nicola Sturgeon has opened up ahead of the release of her new book Credit: ITV News 4 The former First Minister admitted she made a mistake in how she handled the gender ID row Credit: ITV News 4 Ms Sturgeon finally conceded that trans double rapist Bryson is a 'biological male' Credit: PA 4 Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay slammed the ex-Nats chief's comments Credit: Alamy In a primetime ITV interview with Julie Etchingham, the ex-Nats chief also finally conceded that trans double rapist Bryson is a 'biological male' after years of dodging the question - but still referred to Bryson as 'they', not 'he'. Asked whether she believed Bryson was a woman, she said: 'Isla Bryson identified as a woman.' But she added: 'I think what I would say now is anybody who commits the most heinous male crime against women probably forfeits the right to be, you know, the gender of their choice.' Told by Ms Etchingham that the phrase 'the gender of their choice' goes to 'the heart of' the issue of controversial gender self-ID laws passed by Holyrood but blocked by the UK Government, Ms Sturgeon seemed to backtrack and said 'that probably was not the best phrase to use.' She added: 'If you rape a woman then I think you probably, the debate about whether they should be called a woman or not probably…' Asked why she couldn't say Isla Bryson is a biological male, Ms Sturgeon said: 'They are a biological male. but that's about whether... It gets back into the self-ID thing. I should have been much more straightforward. I wasn't. "We'd lost all sense of rationality in this debate. I'm partly responsible for that.' Responding to her remarks, feminist campaigner and ex SNP MSP Joan McAlpine said: "Bryson was just as much of a male in 2023 as he is now. But Nicola Sturgeon couldn't bring herself to call him a man then. She still cannot. "She says he 'probably forfeits the right' to 'choose his gender'. She needs to take an anatomy class or look again at the photographs of him on this pink leggings. "The GRA legislation she championed allows any man to change his birth certificate on a whim, even if he has full male anatomy and is a rapist. Nicola Sturgeon reveals first look at 'midlife crisis' tattoo & says she still MISSES Alex Salmond "She rejected amendments to exclude sex offenders from the process - the only difference between then and now is she has a book to sell.' Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay, whose attempts to block rapists getting gender recognition certificates were voted down by the SNP, slammed the ex-Nats chief's comments. He said: 'Frankly, Nicola Sturgeon must be delusional if she thinks the women of Scotland will swallow this drivel. 'She arrogantly ignored all warnings that gender self-ID would be a gift to male predators like Isla Bryson. And she ordered her SNP MSPs to vote down my attempts to block rapists and other sex criminals from being able to legally change their gender by self-declaration. 'Her absurd ideological belief in self-ID collapses with her belated mealy-mouthed admission that this rapist is a man, but she still can't bring herself to say sorry for all the pain and misery she has caused. 'Let's not forget that if it was not for Alister Jack's common-sense decision to block Sturgeon's dangerous law, every rapist in Scotland would be able to declare themselves as women with the full support of the state.' And SNP MSP Michelle Thomson who was a fierce critic of gender self-ID and also tabled parly amendments to pause the granting of gender recognition certificates to rapists, said Ms Sturgeon's comments came 'far too late'. She said: 'It's far too late to concede that rapists should not be able to self-identify into the gender of their choice. 'Had she stopped to consider or engage with concerns regarding women's existing rights she would not have forced the SNP group to vote against my amendment to temporarily pause the granting of GRC's to rapists." Ms Thomson added: 'Her decision made clear that their rights should trump those of the raped. 'This was not, and never will be, the actions of a feminist.' Alba Party leader Kenny MacAskill, whose sole MSP Ash Regan quit the SNP over the proposed law change, blasted Ms Sturgeon for 'staggering hypocrisy'. He added: 'She started it, she maintained it and it's damaged us all especially vulnerable and damaged women. 'To now be suggesting a change in policy when she drove it forward with gusto and rejected changes to mitigate the harm is laughable. "But change must come and the continuing legacy of her perverse policy must be redded out.'
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Nicola Sturgeon opens up on tragic miscarriage in ‘harrowing' account in new book
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NICOLA Sturgeon has told how her baby would have been called 'Isla' and that she was 'deeply conflicted' about becoming pregnant. In a harrowing account of her miscarriage, she described how she and her estranged husband 'flushed our 'baby' down the toilet' after she painfully lost the unborn child. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 4 Nicola Sturgeon has opened up about her tragic miscarriage 4 And she revealed that she and estranged husband Peter Murrell flushed the baby down the toilet Credit: AFP 4 Nicola Sturgeon speaking outside her home after being cleared over Operation Branchform Credit: PA And she revealed she would have named the child Isla Margaret, with the middle name a tribute to her grandmother. In an emotional admission, the ex-Nats chief added that she would 'mourn her for the rest of my life'. The former first minister and SNP leader's experience was revealed in extracts from her new book, Frankly, due to be released next Thursday. Ms Sturgeon has previously spoken about how she lost a baby shortly after marrying her long-term partner and SNP chief executive Peter Murrell in July 2010. She writes how by mid-October 2010, the two discovered she was pregnant in an Edinburgh hotel room. She said: '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.' 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 Nicola Sturgeon The former SNP leader was the deputy first minister at the time and at the heart of Alex Salmond's government. But she admitted that she believed the 'timing couldn't have been worse' and would be six months pregnant at the time of the 2011 election - during which the SNP won an unprecedented majority. Ms Sturgeon said: 'In my stupid, work-obsessed mind, the timing couldn't have been worse. 'Was I jeopardising my chances of re-election? Worse, given my position as Deputy First Minister, was I risking the party's chances? Nicola Sturgeon announces end of marriage to Peter Murrell with 'heavy heart' '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?' The ex-Nats chief said she went on to feel guilt about the 'days I had wished I wasn't pregnant' and added: '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. 'There's still a part of me that sees what happened as my punishment for that.' In a harrowing account of her miscarriage, she told how she went to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary to be checked-over. She wrote: '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. I do deeply regret not getting the chance to be Isla's mum... And I know that I will mourn her for the rest of my life Nicola Sturgeon '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.' Ms Sturgeon added: '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.' The ex-First Minister said she believed the baby would have been a girl, called Isla, with a middle name Margaret after her grandmother and Mr Murrell's mother. She added: 'She would be in her early teens now, possibly causing us all sorts of trouble.' Ms Sturgeon added that she did not want it to be clear she was 'full of regret at not having children'. She added: '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. Find out what's really going on Register now for our free weekly politics newsletter for an insightful and irreverent look at the (sometimes excruciating) world of Scottish Politics. Every Thursday our hotshot politics team goes behind the headlines to bring you a rundown of key events - plus insights and gossip from the corridors of power, including a 'Plonker' and 'Star' of the Week. Sign up now and make sure you don't miss a beat. The politicians would hate that. SIGN UP FOR FREE NOW '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.' Nicola Sturgeon revealed for the first time in 2016 that she had suffered a miscarriage while deputy first minister. The SNP leader had faced years of speculation about her private life with then-husband Peter Murrell and their lack of children - including being repeatedly questioned about it by the media. But in an interview, she told how she, on January 3, 2011 - just six months after tying the knot with her partner - was miscarrying a baby. Ms Sturgeon was attending a memorial service for the 66 who died in the Ibrox disaster but told Loose Women in March 2023 that she was photographed at the event 'still having a miscarriage'. She said: 'If you go online and Google, you can find a photograph of me at an event, actually while I'm still having a miscarriage, a public commemoration for a disaster that happened many decades ago in Scotland. 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 Nicola Sturgeon 'Looking at me, looking at that photograph now, it's clear I'm in a lot of pain.' Speaking about how she dealt with the loss of the baby, Ms Sturgeon told the TV show: 'I can only speak for myself, but I think it's more common than just me – you just bury it. 'You effectively don't deal with it, you don't process it. I've been doing that to one extent or another for all my adult life.' In 2016, in a statement, she had previously said: 'This was obviously a painful experience for Peter and I and while Mandy has known about it for some time, she has always respected our decision not to talk about it publicly. 'I gave her the go ahead to make reference to it now in the hope that it might challenge some of the assumptions and judgments that are still made about women - especially in politics - who don't have children.' Ms Sturgeon added she hoped talking about it would help contribute to a future world where 'these matters are respected as entirely personal'. She said: 'There are many reasons why women don't have children. Some of us simply don't want to, some of us worry about the impact on our career - and there is still so much to do, through better childcare, more progressive working practices and more enlightened attitudes, to make sure we don't feel we have to choose. "And sometimes, for whatever reason, having a baby just doesn't happen - no matter how much we might want it to. 'For me, as for many women, all of these things have been true at different times of my life - the point is that judgments and assumptions shouldn't be made about what are personal choices and experiences."
Scottish Sun
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
John Swinney accused of secrecy over Operation Branchform
One rival said the failure to be open was 'typical' of the SNP's approach JOHN Swinney has been accused of 'secrecy' over cops' SNP fraud probe. Rivals blasted the First Minister — nicknamed Honest John — for refusing to say when and how he learned Nicola Sturgeon was in the clear. 1 Scottish Tory finance spokesman Craig Hoy said the failure to be open was 'typical' of the SNP Credit: Alamy Detectives previously arrested her and ex-Nats treasurer Colin Beattie. But both were told in March they were no longer under investigation. Her estranged husband Peter Murrell has been charged with embezzlement. Mr Swinney's officials said publishing any communications about Ms Sturgeon's position would 'risk' justice being 'seriously impeded'. But ministers previously shared an email from a top civil servant to then First Minister Humza Yousaf informing him of ex-SNP chief Mr Murrell's arrest in 2023. Scottish Tory finance spokesman Craig Hoy said the failure to be open was 'typical' of the SNP's approach to transparency. He said: 'It is typical of the secrecy we've come to expect from the SNP Government that they won't reveal what John Swinney knew and when. 'Whenever there's an awkward story or scandal, their first instinct is to disclose as little information is possible – and this policy seems to extend to their quangos too.' The Scottish Government said: 'It would not be appropriate to comment as there are live criminal proceedings.' Police and the Crown were asked for comment. John Swinney says he's not been asked by cops for Branchform chat We previously told how the FM was accused of overseeing an 11-year "fiasco" amid a fresh delay to one of two new ferries for islanders. Swinney faced jeers as it emerged delivery of the MV Glen Rosa to CalMac had been put back nine months until next year.
