There’s not a day that goes by in Scottish politics without the woes of the Sturgeon-Murrell empire being discussed in full. Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross didn’t hold back when asked about whether he felt sorry for Nicola Sturgeon during what feels like the SNP’s perpetual state of crisis. Mr S caught the slightest of smirks cross the politician’s face before he conceded: ‘No.’
Did he believe Sturgeon’s performance in Holyrood on Tuesday, on the afternoon of former treasurer Colin Beattie’s bombshell comments on Scotland’s most infamous motorhome, was sincere?
I thought it was very interesting that after a similar event like this with Colin Beattie, which was probably going to lead most of your papers, the former first minister appeared in parliament for the first time. I’ve always thought every decision and action taken by Nicola Sturgeon was calculated and I still believe that to be the case.
How fascinating. Is Mr Ross really trying to say that Sturgeon’s appearance in Holyrood at that particular moment was engineered?
Having watched Colin Beattie’s huddle, I could imagine a number of front pages with two or three of the stories that he pledged not to give you when he walked up the stairs. And then along came the former first minister, not fully expected. Resoundingly, [this] became the main story.
But Sturgeon was not the only politician with which Ross had an axe to grind. After the morning’s chaotic press conference with Rishi Sunak, where the PM was adamant that allegations of his team fixing the presser were ‘completely wrong’, the Scottish Conservative leader decided to take matters into his own hands.
It was unnecessary. It shouldn’t have happened. I always speak to the press, I speak to all of you. I’ll be making the strongest possible representations to No. 10 about it. I’m acutely aware of how it looks and how it is wrong.
Strong words there from Sunak’s Scottish counterpart. It seems he may have regretted his bravado after the presser was done with him – he declined to be quite as adamant about journalistic injustices in front of the broadcast cameras afterwards…
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