JK Rowling has launched a blistering tirade against Nicola Sturgeon, branding the former first minister the "blindest wife ever" and a "world-class misogynist" following the jailing of Sturgeon's estranged husband, Peter Murrell.
Rowling, who has repeatedly criticized Sturgeon over her views on transgender rights, made the comments on social media. She also accused Sturgeon of being "profoundly disloyal" to the SNP and her political allies.
Rowling's Statement
Writing on social media, Rowling said: "I'm astonished that Sturgeon turns out to be not only a world-class misogynist, the blindest wife ever to enjoy the fruits of a fraudster husband's theft, but also profoundly disloyal to the party and the political allies who once revered her."
Sturgeon has always denied any knowledge of Murrell's crimes, and police took no action against her after she was arrested in summer 2023. However, some have accused her of ignoring warnings about SNP finances.
Sturgeon's Memoir and Criticism
The paperback version of Sturgeon's memoir, Frankly, was released this week, including a new 6,000-word foreword critical of her successor, John Swinney, for changing the SNP's position on oil and gas. Sturgeon claimed his election campaign lacked "vision" and "big-picture thinking" and was detached from issues affecting Scottish people.
She praised the Scottish Greens for "injecting a sense of hope for the future" and said the SNP was lucky they didn't stand in dozens of constituency seats. The comments were widely criticized, including by Sturgeon's former special advisor, Mairi McAllan. Swinney has stayed loyal to Sturgeon and refused to be drawn on her comments.
He said: "I enjoyed working for Nicola Sturgeon as her deputy first minister and I delivered, along with her, significant improvements in the lives of people in Scotland. But I'm absolutely over the moon to have my own mandate that allows me to improve the lives of the people in Scotland and that's exactly what I intend to do."
