Where there’s death, there’s life. And the departure of Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister after eight years means there’s a vacancy as top dog in the Scottish parliament. Who could replace her? One Panelbase poll conducted last week shows there’s an overwhelming favourite among the various pretenders: ‘don’t know’ took a whopping 69 per cent of the public vote. Fortunately for the SNP, some of their actual elected politicians scored favourably too – though none more than seven per cent. Below is Steerpike’s guide to the most likely runners and riders to succeed Scotland’s nationalist-in-chief, with odds from Ladbrokes.
Angus Robertson – 6/5
The bookies’ favourite and a familiar face to Westminster watchers. Robertson led the SNP in the House of Commons from 2007 to 2017 before losing his seat to Douglas Ross. He then headed up to Holyrood where he has served since 2021 as Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture.
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