Nicola Sturgeon to face final First Minister’s Questions

Nicola Sturgeon will 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 saying she could “no longer give the job everything it deserved”.

The FM said she had “wrestled” with the decision for a considerable period, but added there was a greater “intensity and brutality” of life as a leading politician in the modern era, citing the “physical and mental impact” on her as a major factor.

This week has seen her carry out her last duties as First Minister as well as an appearance on Loose Women on Monday, where she said the SNP had “mishandled” the membership number row but asked for “perspective”.

Today at 12 noon, I will do my 286th – and final – session of First Minister’s Questions. Immediately afterwards I will make my last speech in @ScotParl chamber as First Minister. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) March 23, 2023

In an interview with ITV, Sturgeon said she had not heard if police wanted to interview her or her husband Peter Murrell as part of an investigation into the party’s finances.

Murrell, chief executive of the SNP, resigned in the wake of a row over the disclosure of membership numbers.

The party said membership as of February 15 of this year was 72,186 – having fallen from 103,884 in 2021.

On Tuesday, Sturgeon has chaired her last cabinet meeting as Scotland’s First Minister. She said it had been “a privilege beyond words” to serve as the country’s leader.

She thanked deputy first minister John Swinney – who is also standing down – for his loyalty throughout her leadership.

On Wednesday, in one of her final acts as First Minister, Sturgeon fought back tears as she formally apologised to women in Scotland who were forced to give up their babies for adoption.

The recognition was the first official apology in the UK to tens of thousands of unmarried mothers “shamed” and “coerced” into having their babies adopted.

It is estimated around 250,000 families in Scotland have been affected by the historical practice throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

As she faces her last FMQs, she is likely to be quizzed about a long-awaited report into the Ferguson Marine ferries fiasco which has identified serious failings – including Sturgeon’s decision to prematurely announce the shipyard as the preferred bidder.

Following months of investigation, a Holyrood committee found taxpayers and island communities have been “badly let down” by many of those involved in the project.

You can watch Sturgeon’s final First Minister’s Questions live here on the STV News website at 12pm on Thursday.