13 Iconic Nicola Sturgeon Moments As First Minister Steps Down
Nicola Sturgeon's most memorable moments
Love her or loathe her, Nicola Sturgeon has had an iconic career as first minister.
Not only was she the first woman to hold the role but she is the longest-serving first minister having clocked up more than eight years.
While publicly her political enemies criticise her, she is widely respected as a force to be reckoned with.
She remained a stalwart of Scottish politics while Westminster tore itself apart over Brexit and churned through five Tory prime ministers.
It is little wonder her resignation came as a shock to political observers having insisted just three weeks ago she was ânowhere nearâ ready to quit.
While a number of issues have been cited for her stepping down, her career has also been smattered with light and amusing moments.
Here, HuffPost UK takes you through some of the funnier moments in the career of one of the UKâs most significant political figures.
When Sturgeon Rinsed Richard Tice
Nicola Sturgeon takes down Richard Tice. đ„#BBCDebatepic.twitter.com/WHrOJhhitL
â Haggis_UK đŹđ§ đȘđș (@Haggis_UK) November 29, 2019
Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice was left speechless after Sturgeon mocked him during a BBC debate ahead of the 2019 general election.
Asked what the politicians would say to Donald Trump, Tice said: âLetâs get a quick trade deal done.â
But Sturgeon interrupted: âAnd âhereâs our NHSâ, is what he would say!â
Tice hit back: âOh nonsense, stop this scaremongering. Itâs pathetic. Just lying to the British people continuously. Itâs pathetic.â
However, the smiling first minister left him gobsmacked as she quipped: âOh I think youâve got form on that.â The audience laughed and applauded Sturgeon as Tice stared at her with his mouth open.
Attacks Daily Mail Over Theresa May Legs-it Photo
DAILY MAIL: Blueprint to save the NHS #tomorrowspaperstodaypic.twitter.com/rZMzhP8dQ5
â Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) March 27, 2017
In 2017 a Daily Mail front page was widely condemned as sexist after featuring Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon next to the headline: âNever mind Brexit, who won Legs-it!â
Sturgeon accused the paper of âleading the wayâ in taking Britain back to the 1970s over its coverage of her meeting with the then prime minister.
The Mail hit back telling its critics to âget a lifeâ, and arguing their coverage was meant to be âlight-heartedâ.
Celebrating Jo Swinson Losing Her Seat
Nicola Sturgeon reacts to Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson losing her seat to the SNP.
Follow the #GeneralElection results live: https://t.co/meuSxFO6V9pic.twitter.com/MeuyWi4DXRâ Sky News (@SkyNews) December 13, 2019
When Sturgeon learned live on air that the then Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson had lost her seat in East Dunbartonshire she broke out into celebration.
Sturgeon was filmed punching the air as she saw the SNPâs Amy Callaghan unseat Swinson.
Lib Dem MP Layla Moran described the SNP leaderâs reaction as âunacceptably ungraciousâ and the Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said it was âgraceless and nastyâ.
But an elated Sturgeon told Sky News: âIt was an understandably excited reactionâŠI canât help but be delighted for my party.â
Singing âIâm A Believerâ
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon sings âIâm a believerâ in Dalkeith pic.twitter.com/hwO0dJklST
â David Cowan (@BBCDavidCowan) November 5, 2019
Sturgeon struck a chord with voters as she picked up a guitar and sang along to the Monkeesâ hit Iâm a Believer on the 2019 campaign trail.
The first minister smiled as she joined in as best she could with the local performers at One Dalkeith Community Hub.
Funny âSexâ Selfie Moment
One Sturgeon fan caught the first minister off guard when she asked for a selfie before shouting âsexâ at the camera.
Sturgeon can be seen bursting out laughing and asking the woman: âYou do know thatâs going to be on television?â The woman clocked the camera and shuffled off giggling.
âYou Are A Fascist. You Are A Racist.â
"You're a fascist and a racist." đđđ
Massive kudos to @NicolaSturgeon for facing down these far right thugs.pic.twitter.com/Pk6rtgaJbkâ Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) May 6, 2021
Sturgeon confronted former Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen on the streets of Glasgow, describing her as a âfascistâ and âracistâ.
The exchange was captured by an observer and posted on Twitter, after Fransen approached the SNP leader outside a polling station.
Nicola Sturgeon Vs Truss
Former prime minister Liz Truss.
Liz Truss dubbed Sturgeon an âattention-seekerâ during the Tory leadership race, only for the insult to quickly come back and bite her.
Truss said: âThe best thing to do with Nicola Sturgeon is ignore her.â
The former prime minister went on: âIâm sorry, sheâs an attention seeker, thatâs what she is.â
However, Sturgeon trolled the then foreign secretary with a tweet of a seal and later claimed Truss demanded to know how to get into Vogue magazine when the pair met at an international climate conference.
Spotted this cute seal in beautiful Argyll. I think s/he might be a bit of an attention seeker đŠđ pic.twitter.com/MwJUpgUteu
â Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) August 5, 2022
Her Husband Saved One Of The Queenâs Corgis
Queen Elizabeth II receives Nicola Sturgeon during an audience at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
Sturgeon revealed how her husband once saved one of the Queenâs corgis from being electrocuted.
Speaking as she moved a motion of condolence in honour of the late monarch, Sturgeon told of how Peter Murrell stopped the dog, a puppy named Sandy, from chewing through a lamp switch after a light began to flicker at Balmoral.
âTo my great alarm, he was, after all, in the presence of her majesty, my husband suddenly leapt up and darted across the floor,â the first minister said.
âPeter had spotted the cause of the flickering light.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon shares her 'treasured' memories of the Queen, including a "tense" moment when one of Her Majesty's corgi's had to be rescued.
Latest: https://t.co/8AFWhoW82a
đș Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/5Gu3Jz3e0Câ Sky News (@SkyNews) September 12, 2022
âOne of the Queenâs young Corgis, a beautiful pup called Sandy, was eating through a lamp switch.
âThankfully, tragedy was averted and Sandy emerged unscathed, though not before a ticking off from his mistress.â
The Boris Johnson Limp Handshake
Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomes former prime minister Boris Johnson to Bute House in Edinburgh.
Boris Johnson and Sturgeon shared an awkward exchange at Bute House when the two leaders met for the first time after he became prime minister.
Johnson was booed by crowds as he arrived on his first trip north of the border since securing the keys to Number 10.
Sturgeon looked less than impressed when she posed to shake hands with the former Mayor of London on the steps to Bute House.
When Her Shoes Were Stolen By A Toddler
I can report that the shoes were safely recovered đ https://t.co/V9DU4rv7Xc
â Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) August 4, 2021
A toddler stole the limelight from Sturgeon by nicking her shoes on a visit to a nursery near Stirling.
Shortly after the first minister kicked off her shoes to walk on Astroturf, the toddler took the heels and stood with her hands in them.
Sturgeon could be seen laughing behind the toddler and later tweeted to say she did eventually get her shoes back.
The Janey Godley Voiceovers
âThatâs me resigned at least I wasnât sacked- Frank get the doorâ #nicolasturgeon#janeygodleyvoiceoverpic.twitter.com/VXEeyhGaNm
â Janey Godley (@JaneyGodley) February 15, 2023
Comedian Janey Godleyâs voiceovers featuring the first minister must get a mention in this list.
The first minister has been asked about the videos in which the potty-mouthed performer talks over covid press conferences pretending to be her.
Sturgeon previously described Godley as her âalter egoâ.
The Scottish government even planned to feature her in a public health campaign but she was dropped after a series of âunacceptableâ tweets emerged.
Hit By A Swingball
Great time in Dennistoun today - until the moment @AnneMcLaughlin whacked me on the head with a tennis ball! pic.twitter.com/L1GeSvGxm3
â Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) September 14, 2019
The charismatic first minister was once whacked by a swingball on a visit to Glasgow during a game with her SNP colleague Anne McLaughlin.
However, Sturgeon laughed it off when the ball hit her in the head and later joked about it on Twitter.
The Piggate David Cameron Joke
Former PM David Cameron and Scottish FM Nicola Sturgeon inside 10 Downing Street.
Sturgeon had the SNP conference in stitches back in 2015 when she made a thinly veiled joke about David Cameron and the piggate saga.
The Scottish first minister attacked âpig-headedâ David Cameron amid extraordinary allegations that he once âinserted a private part of his anatomyâ into a deadâs pig mouth during a university initiation ceremony.
The lurid allegations were among a number of claims laid out in a book by the former Tory chairman Lord Ashcroft and journalist Isabel Oakeshott.
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