LONDON — Former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon claimed Nigel Farage was “odious” and had a “very, very fragile ego.”
Talking to ITV Information to advertise her forthcoming memoir, Frankly, an account of serving in frontline Scottish politics for twenty years, the ex-Scottish Nationwide Celebration chief mentioned Reform UK chief and MP Farage was not comfy to be round.
Requested why Sturgeon described Farage as “odious” within the ebook, she mentioned: “That is my impression, different individuals may need a distinct view of him. He simply comes throughout as someone who’s bought a really, very fragile ego. Any person who’s not significantly comfy, significantly round girls.”
The Reform UK chief has made efforts to extend the celebration’s help amongst girls in spite of everything 5 of its MPs elected final yr have been male. The celebration’s first feminine MP, Sarah Pochin, was elected in Could after successful a by-election in opposition to Labour.
Sturgeon, who led the SNP whereas Farage headed up the right-wing celebration, UKIP, within the 2010s, mentioned: “Within the 2015 leaders’ debate simply earlier than we went on air that night time, I simply bear in mind listening to him inform someone how a lot he’d needed to drink, within the inexperienced room space beforehand.”
She added: “It simply felt this sort of bravado and simply not very nice.”
The previous SNP bigwig, who led her celebration and ruled Scotland for practically eight and a half years, additionally spoke about her residence being raided by police and getting arrested in 2023 throughout an investigation into the celebration’s funds.
“It wasn’t till I bought to mum and pa’s that I noticed the photographs of my home wanting like a homicide scene, successfully,” Sturgeon advised ITV in regards to the police raid, the place her now estranged husband and former SNP Chief Government Peter Murrell was arrested. “I had this sense of horror and upset and the sort of disgrace of all of it.”
Sturgeon additionally mentioned attending a police station for questioning was “horrific,” including “a part of me simply closed down.” Police Scotland confirmed she was not a suspect in March whereas Murrell was charged with embezzlement.
Sturgeon, who has served as an MSP because the Scottish parliament’s founding in 1999, won’t stand for re-election at subsequent Could’s Holyrood elections.
Reform UK didn’t reply to a request for remark.