Sturgeon ‘changed Scottish lives for the better’ – Swinney
First Minister John Swinney thanked Nicola Sturgeon for her contribution to public life.
Nicola Sturgeon can be proud of “changing the lives of people in Scotland for the better”, Scotland’s First Minister has said after she announced she will stand down at the next Holyrood election.
John Swinney said the former first minister had made an “extraordinary contribution” to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government.
He told the PA news agency: “I’m very sorry that Nicola Sturgeon has decided to stand down from the Scottish Parliament.
“She’s made an extraordinary contribution to the work of the Scottish Parliament, and particularly to the Scottish Government, as our longest serving first minister.
“I want to express my thanks and appreciation to Nicola for all of the contributions that she has made to the work of Parliament and Government, and I’m certain she will continue to do so in the years to come, in different ways to contribute to the public life of Scotland.
“She’s got so many different policy achievements to be proud of in changing the lives of people in Scotland for the better. And I wish her well for the future.”
He said the Glasgow Southside SNP MSP has “contributed enormously to the public life of Scotland”, and added: “I think it’s an understandable decision, having served for such a long time as first minister, and this is the first opportunity of an election after she delivered office as first minister to step down.”
Questioned on what her legacy would be, Mr Swinney highlighted the expansion of funded early learning and childcare as “one of the principal elements of her legacy” as well as the introduction of the Scottish child payment.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said while her party would “wish any departing MSP well”, it could “not forget the deep divisions in our country that Nicola Sturgeon created, fostered and encouraged”.
Hitting out at the former first minster, Ms Hamilton said: “By any objective analysis, her record as first minister is one of failure.
“Scottish education standards collapsed on her watch and the poverty-related attainment gap, which she promised to eradicate, widened.
“She presided over a drugs death emergency, a ferries scandal, a crisis in our NHS, crumbling roads – and all while raising taxes on hard-working Scots, which stifled economic growth.
“Her reckless gender self-ID policy betrayed women, her soft-touch approach to justice betrayed victims, and her shameful deletion of Covid WhatsApp messages denied bereaved families answers and highlighted the secrecy and cynicism that characterised her government.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “Nicola Sturgeon has been a leading figure in Scottish politics for 20 years, but I have known her in local politics in Glasgow for almost 30 years.
“This is a significant announcement that marks the end of an era in Scottish politics.
“Whilst I have many disagreements with her, I never doubted her passion for Glasgow and Scotland. I wish her well for the future.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said while Ms Sturgeon’s impact on politics is “undeniable”, the departure of another senior figure from the SNP is “further proof of their decline”.
He added: “For so many people across Scotland, it feels like nothing works anymore. Next year, they will have a chance to draw a line under SNP division and neglect.”
But Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater – who served as a junior minister in the government under Ms Sturgeon – said her “time leading Scotland is certainly one that she can be proud of”.
She said Ms Sturgeon’s leadership during the Covid pandemic and throughout Brexit would “inspire generations of young women”.
Speaking about herself and fellow Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie, Ms Slater added: “Patrick and I had the privilege of serving in government alongside Nicola. It was the first time anywhere in the UK that Greens had been in a government role, and we are proud of the change we delivered.
“The Scottish Green MSPs wish her all the best with whatever she decides to do next and thank her for years of co-operation, camaraderie and friendly debate.”
Scottish actor Alan Cumming, who Ms Sturgeon was recently spotted DJing with at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, said: “It’s not just 27 years of her life that Nicola Sturgeon gave to her country. She gave her heart and her soul. Indeed for a time, a glorious time in my opinion, she was the heart and soul of Scotland.
“As our leader, like all great leaders, she made us better.
“I share her dream of an independent Scotland but also of a Scotland that gives the due respect and honour to its women politicians that Nicola too often did not receive.
“I wish her so much love and happiness and, above all, gratitude for the service she gave to our beloved country.”
