Researching Nicola Sturgeon

A law graduate of the University of Glasgow, Sturgeon worked as a solicitor in Glasgow. After being elected to the Scottish Parliament, she served successively as the SNP's shadow minister for education, health, and justice. In 2004 she announced that she would stand as a candidate for the leadership of the SNP following the resignation of John Swinney. However, she later withdrew from the contest in favour of Alex Salmond, standing instead as depute (deputy) leader on a joint ticket with Salmond. Both were subsequently elected, and as Salmond was still an MP in the House of Commons, Sturgeon led the SNP in the Scottish Parliament as Leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2007. The SNP won the highest number of seats in the Scottish Parliament in the 2007 election and Salmond was subsequently appointed first minister. He appointed Sturgeon as Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing. She was appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Capital Investment and Cities in 2012.

Following the defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Salmond resigned and Sturgeon was elected unopposed as SNP leader in November 2014 and appointed as first minister. Sturgeon led the SNP through the 2015 general election when it enjoyed a surge in support, recording a number of swings of over 30% from Labour, as it won 56 of the 59 Scottish seats and replaced the Liberal Democrats as the third-largest party in the British House of Commons. In the 2016 election, the SNP was returned as the largest single party in the Scottish Parliament but fell two seats short of a majority. Sturgeon secured a second term as first minister, forming an SNP minority government. In the 2016 UK referendum on EU membership, Scotland voted by 62% to remain in the European Union, despite Brexit receiving 52% of the vote across the UK. Both before and after the vote to leave the EU, Sturgeon's government has repeatedly advocated for a second referendum on independence. The SNP gained a seat in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, winning 64 seats, but fell one seat short of a majority. Sturgeon’s government subsequently entered a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens. As First Minister, Sturgeon has been leading the Scottish Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland since 2020.