Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Thursday, March 23, 2023

Official Report 1103KB pdf

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First Minister’s Statement

The next item of business is a personal statement by the First Minister. Today marks the final contribution in the chamber of Nicola Sturgeon MSP as First Minister—our longest-serving First Minister and the first woman to hold the post. On behalf of the Parliament, I thank the First Minister for her service. I thank John Swinney MSP, the Deputy First Minister, for his service, too. They have both been in Government since 2007 and I wish them well for the future.

12:47  

Thank you, Presiding Officer, for your kind words. I am sure that I also speak on behalf of the Deputy First Minister in expressing that gratitude.

I have just concluded my 286th and final session of First Minister’s question time, and this is the final statement that I will make in the chamber as First Minister. No matter what I do in the future, nothing—absolutely nothing—will come close to the experience of the past 3,046 days. Being First Minister of the country that I love has been a profound honour. I have led Scotland through good times, but also through the toughest period of our recent history.

Exactly three years ago today, I stood at a podium in St Andrew’s house and asked the country to stay at home. My thoughts today, and always, are with those who lost loved ones to Covid, those who still live with long Covid, our young people who lost out on so many of the normal experiences of growing up and everyone who endured the trauma of separation and loneliness.

Covid shaped all of us. I know that it changed me, and, in many ways, it defined my time as First Minister. Above all, it reinforced in me an abiding admiration for the people of this wonderful country, who made such painful sacrifices to keep each other safe. In the toughest of times, our country showed the best of itself with love, care and solidarity. That will live with me for ever.

Being First Minister has been, variously and often all at once, challenging, exhilarating and exhausting but, every day without exception, it has been an utter privilege. I have already set out my reasons for stepping down now; I will not repeat them today. Suffice it to say that I know in my heart that this is the right time.

After more than 35 years in politics, 24 years in the Parliament, 16 years in the Government and more than eight years as First Minister, it is time for Nicola Sturgeon the politician to make a bit of space for Nicola Sturgeon the person. It is time for me to contribute, in a different capacity, to the causes that I care so deeply about: gender equality, care-experienced young people, climate justice and always, until the job is done, winning Scottish independence. No matter how difficult change may be, I know also that it is right for my party, the Government and our country that I now make way for a new generation of leadership.

I have made my fair share of mistakes in the past eight years and, of course, there are things that I wish I had done better or differently but, overall and overwhelmingly, I am proud of what has been achieved. The doubling of early years education and childcare, the Scottish child payment, widening of access to higher education with a record number of young people from backgrounds like mine now going to university, minimum unit pricing for alcohol—a policy that is saving lives—a publicly owned and mission-driven national investment bank and putting the climate emergency at the heart of all that we do are just a few of the many policies that I believe will have a lasting impact on our country.

As the first woman to hold this office, advancing gender equality has also been close to my heart. My Cabinet has always been gender balanced. This Parliament legislated for free period products and strengthened the law on domestic abuse. Less tangible, perhaps, but just as important, is that no girl in our country now has any doubt that a woman can hold the highest office in the land. I heard a phrase the other day that struck a chord with me: “When women lift, girls rise.” As First Minister, I have tried to put that into practice, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life.

Presiding Officer, countless people have supported me along the way. Today, I will say a heartfelt “Thank you” to just some of them. First, I thank my family. Nothing—absolutely nothing—would be possible without the love and support that you give me, daily.

I thank my extended family, the Scottish National Party—the party that I joined at 16, when, on a good day, we would hit 12 per cent in the opinion polls. We have come such a long way together as a team; let us keep going, serving Scotland together, as a team.

I thank my colleagues here, in Holyrood, in SNP parliamentary groups past and present; the central office staff who support us; all my ministerial colleagues over the years—especially John Swinney, who is the best Deputy First Minister and the best friend that I could have wished for on this journey; and our staff in party headquarters, who have built a formidable campaign operation, enabling us to win 14 national elections since 2007.

To all those who have worked in my constituency office—in particular, to my current team, Paul Leinster, Caroline Scott, Mhairi Hunter, Carolyn McConville, Irfan Rabbani and Nikita Bassi—I say that you have had my back throughout, and you work tirelessly, every single day, to help me to represent the people of Glasgow Southside.

To my constituency party and to my constituents I say thank you so much for putting your trust in me, time and again.

To my special advisers I say that you have given your all to me and to the cause of building a better country. You have been led by two outstanding chiefs of staff in Liz Lloyd and Colin McAllister.

To our partners in the Scottish Green Party I say that I am very proud of the Bute house agreement. Thank you for joining us in Government.

I thank our brilliant civil service. Scotland is so fortunate in having the integrity, impartiality and professionalism of our civil servants, and I am privileged to have been served by some of the very best. I thank each and every one. However, I make special mention of those who have served in my policy unit and in my First Minister’s questions team. The latter, especially on Wednesday evenings and Thursday mornings, really do have the worst job in the Government. For the avoidance of doubt, Presiding Officer, I point out that the good answers have always been down to them; the bad have been all me.

Finally, I thank from the bottom of my heart three groups of people who, because of the nature of the jobs that they do, have probably spent more time with me over the years than they have with their families—at least, I am sure that that is how it has felt. To my security team I say thank you for keeping me safe. To the wonderful Bute house staff I say thank you for always making me feel at home. To every private secretary, diary secretary, correspondence secretary, to the visits and events team, to the communications and camera teams—to everyone in my private office who has supported me over 16 years in Government—I say thank you for keeping me going. Obviously, I cannot name everyone, much as I would love to, but I want to mention a few: my longest-serving principal private secretary, John Somers, and the current incumbent, Chris Mackie.

Last but not least are three very special people who, individually and collectively, have been with me for almost all my time as First Minister. They were the core of my team during Covid, coming into the office while others stayed at home to give me the support that I needed to do my job. They are Nicola Dove, Patrick Crolla and Gary McGhee. You three will never know how much your care, kindness and humour has sustained me over these years, and I am so going to miss you.

Presiding Officer, as I come to the end of my last speech as First Minister, I have some final reflections. To you I say that I am sure that you are hoping for a new First Minister whose answers on a Thursday lunchtime are not quite as long winded as mine. Thank you for your patience.

To my colleagues across the chamber: robust debate and holding the Government to account are the hallmarks of what we do here. That is as it should be. I thank those in the other parties for that. However, just maybe, we might enhance our democracy if, occasionally, we—all of us—treated each other with kindness, too, and remembered that we are opponents, not enemies.

To my successor, I say this. Next week, we will find out whose portrait will go alongside mine on the stairwell of Bute house. Subject to this chamber’s approval, it will be either Scotland’s second female First Minister or its first from a minority ethnic background. Either way, that will send the very powerful message that this, the highest office in the land, is one that any young person in Scotland can aspire to.

Never forget that every day in this office is an opportunity to make something better for someone, somewhere in Scotland. Do not shy away from the big challenges or difficult debates. You will not get everything right, but it is always better to aim high and fall short than not to try at all. Always draw strength, energy and wisdom from the people of this wonderful country.

It is for the people of Scotland—all of you, whether you voted for me or not—that I reserve my final words from this seat. Thank you so much for placing your trust in me. Words will never adequately convey the gratitude and the awe that I hold in my heart for the opportunity that I have had to serve as your First Minister. It truly has been the privilege of my lifetime—and with those words, Presiding Officer, I draw it to a close.

[Applause.]

Thank you. That concludes the statement by the First Minister. I call on other members to respond, starting with Douglas Ross.

12:56  

Although I believe that the First Minister and I see each other as adversaries rather than allies—the final session of First Minister’s questions probably reiterated that impression—let me add a little balance in my final remarks to Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister.

When Nicola Sturgeon leaves office, she will bring to a close a political career in this chamber that few, if any, can or will match in its length: 24 years of service to her constituents so far, 16 years as a Government minister and more than eight years as First Minister. Indeed, since 1999, she has been a permanent fixture in this Parliament and on her party’s front bench. In these times of political turbulence, that is staying power that many of us could only ever wish for.

She has been a formidable campaigner; her political opponents over the years can unanimously agree on that. No one can deny that Nicola Sturgeon has, for better or worse, left a mark on our country. We have all lived through the Sturgeon era of Scottish politics, and that era is now coming to an end. Nowhere will that change be felt more keenly than within the ranks of her own party.

I return to her role in Government as First Minister. For Nicola Sturgeon and her predecessors and successors, it remains the rarest of honours, and even rarer still for—as Nicola Sturgeon described herself—a working-class girl from Ayrshire.

I recognise the positive message that it sends that in Scotland, every child should have the ability to reach the heights that they dream of—and do you know what, Presiding Officer? Sometimes dreams do come true. I stand here in the chamber as the only recent politician to beat Nicola Sturgeon. I won the bet that I had with her, which was made back in 2021, for £100. For the record, I have to say that I am still awaiting payment—that is perhaps one final example of the delays from Nicola Sturgeon’s Government. [Laughter.]

However, I mean this in all sincerity. Our exchanges have been sometimes difficult and always robust, but we seek to do better in our politics, and I think that every member in the chamber can listen to that message from the First Minister.

As she has done in the past, the First Minister spoke of the additional responsibility that she has had to help every woman and girl in our country to fulfil their potential. As the first woman holder of her office, she has been a role model for what women and girls can aspire to in Scotland today.

Those are all achievements of which the First Minister should be proud. However, although the First Minister is a talented politician, those talents have not always been used to the best of her ability in Government. I am not going to use this session to labour over the arguments that we have made on this side of the chamber time and again. I will simply say that, on her first day in office, Nicola Sturgeon promised to be

“First Minister for all of Scotland: regardless of your politics or your point of view”.—[Official Report, 19 November 2014; c 33.]

However, in some people’s view, too often, she used her position to further her party’s political objectives, rather than to bring the country together and govern in all of Scotland’s interests.

I accept that holding high office is a great burden and honour, and, on this day of all days, it is right that we acknowledge the difficult responsibilities that the Covid pandemic placed on those in power. Along with the First Minister and other members, I put on record the thoughts of members on this side of the chamber for everyone who, sadly, lost their lives and for those who continue to mourn the loss of loved ones.

As I said earlier, it is no secret that the First Minister and I are not best friends, and I am sure that, as she watches from the back benches, she will not miss our weekly First Minister’s question time exchanges. In my time as leader of the Opposition, I have asked Nicola Sturgeon 256 questions and, once or twice, I have even got an answer.

Away from this chamber, I know that political leadership takes a personal toll on those people who attain the highest office and on those closest to them as well. We could all see that the thanks that the First Minister gave to her family and her staff were difficult for her to articulate but were keenly felt. There will have been countless times that the First Minister will not have been able to be there for her family and friends, as she put the demands of leadership first. Therefore, I hope that, in standing down, the First Minister will be able to take comfort from having more time for family, friends and, of course, her passion of reading.

On behalf of members on this side of the chamber, although we have passionately disagreed with Nicola Sturgeon over the years and, no doubt, will continue to do so into the future, as she leaves the office of First Minister, I wish her well for whatever the future holds for her. [Applause.]

13:02  

Today is a significant moment in Scottish politics. Of course, it has personal significance for Nicola Sturgeon, but it is also significant for our politics, as Scotland prepares to face a new era and the twin crises of the national health service crisis and the cost of living crisis.

I will start by placing on record my respect and recognition for Nicola Sturgeon’s more than 20 years of public service. I first met Nicola Sturgeon when I was a teenager—and that is meant as a compliment rather than a disparaging comment. It is safe to say that both of us have grown up and changed a lot since then.

Regardless of our many differences, Nicola Sturgeon is—as even her harshest critics would accept—an able and formidable politician who has stood at the forefront of Scottish politics for more than 15 years. Although we have disagreed passionately about what is best for the people, I have never for a moment doubted her love for Scotland.

The election of the first woman as First Minister—an achievement that cannot be overstated—was an important moment for our country. It was a sign to women and girls, regardless of their politics, that there should be no limit to their ambition, that there was no position or office in the land that they could not aspire to, and that there was nothing that they should not be able to achieve.

I am sure that many people will point towards our more robust exchanges at First Minister’s question time, but, on many occasions, Nicola Sturgeon and I have attempted to build consensus, particularly in calling out and challenging the rising levels of prejudice and hate in society. I think that that is, in part, driven by our deep connection with the south side of Glasgow, which the First Minister referenced. It is the most diverse part of Scotland, and I know how much celebrating the rich diversity in our communities means to her. I would even suggest that she has maybe worn traditional Asian dress more often than I have in my lifetime. There are many things on which we can disagree and divide, but one issue should always unite every political party in this Parliament, and that is the fight against prejudice and hate.

In her resignation statement last month, Nicola Sturgeon spoke about the personal toll that politics takes, and I often reflect on how much our politics has changed, how much more divisive it has become and how intolerant it can often be. The challenge for us all is how we build politics that allows for strong disagreement, passionate debate and robust argument, but never descends into hatred. Far too often, particularly online, our politics does descend into that hatred.

It is not by the praise or the criticism of her opponents that any First Minister will be judged; it will be by their record. As First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon led our country through challenging times, most obviously during the pandemic. I think that she is right—that is what will define her time. I recognise the immense pressure, and the toll that many of the decisions made in those difficult years will have taken. At a time of uncertainty and anxiety, she attempted to provide stability and reassurance to people across this country at the darkest moments.

It is fair to say that, during our many robust debates with each another, I have learned some of Nicola Sturgeon’s tells. When her grasp of the detail might, on occasion, escape her, or when it is not on her side, she is quick to point to her electoral record. We have heard it again today—eight election wins. That is, undoubtedly, a political achievement to be proud of. It is a legacy that no one can deny and of which many of us can be jealous.

She is right to say that winning is important and that it matters, but, for leaders of any political party, what they do with that power when they win and how they govern also matter. It is also safe to say that never in the history of devolution has there been a First Minister with so much power, so much time and so much political capital. Despite that, we all know that there is still much more to do. The promise of devolution remains unfulfilled. Child poverty is still too high, national health service waiting lists are still too long, our public services are struggling and our economy needs to be restarted. We must now urgently confront those challenges, which must be our focus in this place.

I am sure that the Government will feel Nicola Sturgeon’s absence from the front benches, although perhaps no one will feel it as keenly as her successor. Nicola Sturgeon leaves a Government and a party shaped in her image—they will not find a replacement like her. I and my entire party wish her the very best for whatever she chooses to do in the future. [Applause.]

13:07  

I am privileged to be able to offer a few comments from the Scottish Green Party at this moment.

Over the past wee while, I have heard both the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister reflect on how they might have felt back in their early days as teenage activists if they had known the role that they would go on to play as leaders of the Government of Scotland. However, my first memory of meeting Nicola Sturgeon, years before I stood for Parliament, was when she was in opposition, not in government.

I am sure that there were times when being in opposition meant saying no, but, in the first year of this new Scottish Parliament, with the rights and equality of a marginalised group on the line, Nicola Sturgeon recognised that, when the Government does the right thing, the role of the Opposition involves being constructive. The law that is often called section 28 was a nasty homophobic hangover of the 1980s. In the first debate on repealing that law, Nicola Sturgeon said:

“Section 28 is plainly and simply about discrimination. It is about singling out one section of the population and labelling it as unacceptable.”—[Official Report, 10 February 2000; c 965.]

She was not the only politician saying so, but what she did helped to ensure that the issue was not seen as Government versus Opposition and that rival parties with serious disagreements could work together to find the common ground for the good of the country.

I have agreed and disagreed with Nicola Sturgeon on issues over the years since then, but, in recent months, she has shown that same commitment to stand by another vulnerable group in our society while so many in politics and in the media were dredging up the tropes and prejudice of past decades and redirecting them against transgender people. I can still see today what I remember from those days—Nicola Sturgeon’s commitment to being an ally to marginalised people remains part of her character as a politician.

I did not know at that time that I would go on to join the Scottish Parliament or that I would have the chance to sit with Nicola Sturgeon on the advisory board of the yes Scotland campaign for Scottish independence. I did not know that I would share the stage with her at the Glasgow Hydro, of all places, even if we did have to share the bill with a certain Mr George Galloway.

I certainly could not have imagined that she and John Swinney would pick up the phone and offer to negotiate an agreement that would bring the Greens into Government for the first time in this country’s history, advancing action on climate justice and progressive values, and, in doing so, infuriating right wingers, vested interests, polluting industries and even one or two of the Government’s own back benchers.

I also see today what I remember from earlier days: Nicola Sturgeon sees the value in politicians and political parties recognising their differences but seeking common ground and finding ways to work together for the good of the country.

On this day of national reflection, we all share the sentiment that Nicola Sturgeon expressed a few minutes ago. As for the things that her time as First Minister will be remembered for outside of the political bubble, I think that, for most people, it will be her leadership during a pandemic that changed all our lives.

At the start of the pandemic, as we were just coming to terms with what the world was facing, some Governments around the world chose bluff and bluster, pretending that they knew the answers or offering false simplicity in place of the complex truth. Nicola Sturgeon made a braver choice—to be clear about what was not known and to express the same fears and uncertainty that we all felt. Throughout the pandemic, she not only fronted up the Scottish Government response on an almost daily basis but did so with honesty, clarity and humility. By doing that, she earned the public trust.

Therefore, whatever the future brings, I thank both Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney for their service to Scotland. I wish them very well. My highest hope for them is that they continue to find ways to infuriate all the right people. [Applause.]

13:12  

Those of us who seek a life in public service must deal with events and times as we find them and not as we would wish them to be. Regardless of what circumstance throws our way, it is incumbent on all of us to commit to the task before us: to seek the best for our communities and, in so doing, try always to reflect the better natures of the people whom we seek to serve.

As the first woman to achieve the office of First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon has provided inspiration to the women and girls who will doubtless follow her to the highest office in the land. She has been Scotland’s First Minister through some of the darkest hours in our modern history. I think that it is important to recognise her tireless and substantial commitment to the office that she has held for longer than anybody else. That tireless commitment was no more evident than in the worst days of the pandemic—a time of unprecedented anxiety for our country—when she offered a voice of calm to people stuck at home.

She will be aware of the times that she has walked in step with my party, when she adopted our policies on things such childcare and the pupil premium. She will recognise the times when we have voted with her, sometimes against the prevailing winds—on the physical punishment of children, on alcohol pricing, on advancing the rights of Scotland’s LGBT+ community. She has acknowledged some historical wrongs, as well, as she did yesterday to the victims of forced adoption. She knows my background and, as such, I will always appreciate her continuing dedication to young Scots who are currently in the care of the state or who have experience of the Scottish care system. This chamber will debate her legacy, good and bad, long after her departure.

The First Minister and I are very different people. Our visions for the future of Scotland and of the United Kingdom just do not align, but I recognise hard work when I see it.

I am also grateful for the kindness that she has done me personally on occasion. The words of comfort that she once offered me in private conversation when my daughter was hospitalised are something that I will not forget.

The sands of Scottish politics are now shifting in big and unpredictable ways. This is a moment, a crossroads, a chance to do things differently, and people are now looking for inspiration and new hope.

I finish by thanking Nicola Sturgeon and her deputy John Swinney for their service to our country, and I wish them well with whatever comes next. [Applause.]

13:15  

It is truly an honour to speak today on the resignation of the First Minister, although that is a decision that I and, I think, the country are still coming to terms with. When the First Minister became First Minister, I was 17, and I was in the audience at Eden Court when she came to speak to voters and activists about her plans for Scotland.

I will come back to that moment later, but for now I am going to reflect on that plan for Scotland, because that plan is what brought us the baby box, the Scottish child payment and the Promise—all emblematic of the progressive values that the First Minister brought to the fore of the SNP and brought so many people into the SNP on the back of.

“Stop the world, Scotland wants to get on”

is rightly a very famous campaign line of Winnie Ewing’s, but Nicola Sturgeon did not wait for independence to bring it to life. She has been an ambassador for Scotland, and that will serve us well when her successors deliver independence.

She has always stayed true to herself, and this is the First Minister whom I, as a young survivor of sexual assault, watched stand up—not just when it was easy or abstract but when it was difficult—and say that women deserve justice. We can also look at how she has spent the last few weeks in her role, when people cannot accuse her of thinking about keeping her position next time or winning applause: she has tackled misogyny, delivered a very moving apology for historical adoption practices and, of course, spent time with the care-experienced young people of Scotland, to whom she was the first to say that the state does not just owe them a home; we owe them our love.

At a time when we were so isolated and separate, Nicola Sturgeon was trusted, invited and welcomed into millions of living rooms across the country. The last time that I was allowed to visit my mother was before the last lockdown—the lockdown when she caught Covid. We sat in her garden and she told me all about what Nicola had said to her that morning, talking about the First Minister of Scotland as though she was someone from down the road who had popped in for a coffee. That is the kind of connection that Nicola Sturgeon has made with people the length and breadth of this country.

That brings me on to the second part of her legacy, because it is not just the policies that she put in place but the people she lifted as she climbed; the women she mentored, inspired and empowered; the people she told that their passion, their voluntary work and their opinions are politically valuable. They had been disenfranchised and she brought them in and gave them a voice.

They are all a part of her legacy, and that includes me, because that day, in Eden Court, I got to sit in the front row and ask the First Minister what she was going to do to make sure that more women and girls would enter politics in the future. It is a question that has been thoroughly answered since, but I remember her specific reply to me. She said, “Well, Emma, I would like to see more young women, Emma, making their voice heard, Emma.” [Laughter.]

Those words led me here, and I think that that will be the same for other women in this place, both now and in the future. I see little girls dressing up as Nicola Sturgeon for world book day, and I think that the First Minister has very safely achieved the goal that she set out in her statement: she has lifted, and girls across Scotland are rising to meet her. As one of those girls, I am confident that she will continue to inspire, no matter what she does next.

This has been a personal contribution but, as I speak on behalf of the SNP today, I know that we all want to thank her for her service, her selflessness and her dignity as First Minister. I will end by saying that I have read quite a few books on the back of the First Minister’s recommendations and I cannot wait to read the books that Nicola Sturgeon is going to write. [Applause.]

13:19  

I will be brief, first, because I know that everybody wants to go and have lunch and, secondly, because I am not sure that I can go much further without crying. I thank colleagues across the chamber for their generous comments, which mean a great deal to me and which I deeply appreciate.

I say to Emma Roddick that I remember the exchange that she referred to really well. I cannot tell you how proud I am of you that you now sit in Parliament, making such a positive contribution. Who knows? You may one day stand where I stand. I thank you for your contribution.

My interaction with Emma is one of probably thousands of interactions that I have had with girls and young women during my eight years as First Minister. If I have encouraged even a few of them to believe more in themselves and to stand a bit taller, I will be very happy, because that means a great deal to me.

More generally, to lead this country is the pinnacle of what this shy and introverted—that is still the case; it was not just when I was a young girl—working-class girl from Ayrshire could ever have dreamed of. This country is truly amazing and the people who live in this country, no matter where they came from, are amazing, too.

As I have travelled overseas as First Minister, which has been an enormous privilege, I have had the opportunity to see just how much Scotland punches above her weight. I have directly seen the respect in which people across the globe hold us. Perhaps all we need to do now, here, at home, is believe a bit more in ourselves.

Although I know without a shadow of a doubt that the time is right for me to go, I feel emotional today, perhaps because I know beyond doubt that, even if I live to be 100 years old, no phase in my life will be as special or meaningful to me as these past eight years have been.

You will, of course, see me very soon on a back bench near here, but, in the meantime, and for the final time from me as First Minister, I say to the people of Scotland: thank you from the bottom of my heart for the privilege of being your First Minister. [Applause.]

It is now time to move to the next item of business, which is a members’ business debate in the name of Pauline McNeill. There will be a short pause to allow those who are leaving the chamber and public gallery to do so before the debate begins.