Nicola Sturgeon

The Right Honourable Nicola Sturgeon MSP
Sturgeon in 2021
First Minister of Scotland
In office 20 November 2014 – 28 March 2023
Monarchs	Elizabeth II Charles III
Deputy	John Swinney
Preceded by	Alex Salmond
Succeeded by	Humza Yousaf
Leader of the Scottish National Party
In office 14 November 2014 – 27 March 2023
Depute	Stewart Hosie Angus Robertson Keith Brown
Preceded by	Alex Salmond
Succeeded by	Humza Yousaf
Deputy First Minister of Scotland
In office 17 May 2007 – 20 November 2014
First Minister	Alex Salmond
Preceded by	Nicol Stephen
Succeeded by	John Swinney
Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party
In office 3 September 2004 – 14 November 2014
Leader	Alex Salmond
Preceded by	Roseanna Cunningham
Succeeded by	Stewart Hosie
Ministerial offices Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Capital Investment and Cities In office 5 September 2012 – 19 November 2014 First Minister Alex Salmond Preceded by Alex Neil Succeeded by Keith Brown Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing In office 17 May 2007 – 5 September 2012 First Minister Alex Salmond Preceded by Andy Kerr Succeeded by Alex Neil
Parliamentary offices Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Southside Glasgow Govan (2007–2011) Incumbent Assumed office 3 May 2007 Preceded by Gordon Jackson Majority 9,593 (38.5%) Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) In office 6 May 1999 – 3 May 2007
Personal details
Born	Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (1970-07-19) 19 July 1970 (age 54) Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland
Political party	Scottish National Party
Spouse	Peter Murrell ​ (m. 2010)​
Parents	Robin Sturgeon Joan Kerr Ferguson
Alma mater	University of Glasgow
Cabinet	1st 2nd 3rd
Signature
Website	Parliament website
Nicola Sturgeon's voice Sturgeon's last statement in the Scottish Parliament as First Minister Recorded 23 March 2023

Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023.^[1][2] She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999, first as an additional member for the Glasgow electoral region, and as the member for Glasgow Southside (formerly Glasgow Govan) from 2007.

Born in Ayrshire, Sturgeon is a law graduate of the University of Glasgow. She worked as a solicitor in Glasgow before her election to the Scottish Parliament in 1999. She served successively as the SNP's shadow minister for education, health, and justice. Sturgeon entered the leadership of the SNP but later withdrew from the contest in favour of Alex Salmond, standing instead as depute leader on a joint ticket with Salmond. Both were subsequently elected; as Salmond was still an MP, Sturgeon led the SNP in the Scottish Parliament as Leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2007. The SNP emerged as the largest party following the 2007 election and Salmond headed the first SNP minority government, with Sturgeon as his deputy. From 2007 to 2012, she served as health secretary, overseeing the scrapping of prescription charges and the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Following the SNP's landslide majority in 2011, she was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Capital Investment and Cities, which saw her in charge of the legislative process for the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. The defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign resulted in Salmond's resignation as SNP leader.

Sturgeon was elected unopposed as SNP leader in November 2014 and was subsequently appointed as first minister, becoming the first woman to hold either position.^[3][4] She entered office amid a rapid surge in membership of the SNP, which was reflected in the party's performance in the 2015 general election, winning 56 of the 59 Scottish seats and replacing the Liberal Democrats as the third-largest party in the House of Commons. The SNP continued to enjoy electoral successes throughout Sturgeon's nine years in office, but lost 21 seats in the 2017 general election. Despite losing her majority, Sturgeon secured a second term in office in 2016, forming a minority government.

Sturgeon led the Scottish Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing a series of restrictions on social gatherings and the rollout of the vaccine programme. A seat short of a majority in 2021, Sturgeon became the only first minister to serve a third term, and she subsequently entered a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens. The calls from Sturgeon's government and the wider independence movement for a second referendum were unsuccessful, as successive Conservative prime ministers refused to grant a Section 30 order. From 2022, Sturgeon received heavier criticism for her positions on gender reforms. On 15 February 2023, Sturgeon resigned the leadership of the SNP claiming occupational burnout; she was succeeded by her health secretary, Humza Yousaf, the following month.

This article is part of a series about Nicola Sturgeon
Political positions Electoral history MSP for Glasgow MSP for Glasgow Southside Deputy First Minister of Scotland (2004–2014) Salmond Ministry 2004 deputy leadership election Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Tobacco sale restrictions Minimum unit pricing Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Capital Investment and Cities Independence referendum Votes at 16 2014 Scottish independence referendum Leader of the SNP (2014–2023) 2014 leadership election First Minister of Scotland (2014–2023) Premiership International visits First Ministry Revenue Scotland LBTT SLfT Community right to buy Second Ministry 2016 election Proposed second independence referendum Brexit referendum People's Vote Social Security Scotland Scottish National Investment Bank Alex Salmond scandal COVID-19 pandemic Third Ministry 2021 election Bute House Agreement COP26 Ferry fiasco Operation Branchform Cost of living crisis Bin worker strikes ScotRail strikes 2023 proposed referendum 2022 Supreme Court referral Gender reform bill Resignation 2023 leadership election UK General elections 2015 2017 2019
v t e