Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has ruled out joining the Scottish Greens, declaring she is “SNP to my core” during an event at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Speaking to broadcaster Iain Dale as part of the All Talk series, Ms Sturgeon was asked if she would switch parties. “No,” she said. “I am SNP to my core… I joined the SNP at 16, I will die in the SNP.”
She added: “I am not joining any other party. I will never be a member of any other party – ever.”
Criticism of SNP campaign
The comments follow criticism from the former SNP leader in a new foreword to her memoir, released last week, in which she claimed the party’s campaign lacked “vision” and “big-picture thinking”, while praising the Scottish Greens.
Some former colleagues pushed back on her remarks. Education Secretary Mairi McAllan, who served as special adviser under Ms Sturgeon, called accusations of a bad campaign “nonsense”. First Minister John Swinney said the party’s push for a fifth term was “strong”.
Praise for Swinney
On Saturday, Ms Sturgeon – who appointed Mr Swinney as her deputy – praised him. “The SNP’s just won an election, overwhelmingly, deservedly so,” she said. “John Swinney is one of my favourite people on the face of the planet. We’ve been close colleagues, friends, for many, many years. I think he is doing an outstanding job as First Minister and it makes me really proud to see how well he’s doing.”
She also warned that with the rise in Reform support, parties could face a shift to the right, urging the SNP to resist such a move. “If I make a point at all, that is relevant to my own party as much as it is to anybody else, it’s stand up for what you believe in,” she said.
