Highland MP and UK government ministers among early tributes to Nicola Sturgeon after First Minister resigns
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REACTIONS from across the political and business world have already begun to flood in after the shock resignation of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Wednesday morning.
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey MP Drew Hendry was one of the early figures to pay tribute to Sturgeon's "open, progressive and thoughtful" leadership of the SNP and Scottish Government.
“Nicola Sturgeon has led from the front and has been a leader of an invaluable benefit through some of the toughest times imaginable," he said. "Her open, progressive, and thoughtful approach has given great comfort to many who have felt marginalised and to the masses who needed her guidance and reassurance throughout the pandemic.
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“To say that she will be missed as First Minister is a gross understatement. She has earned the right to choose her own personal future after so much invaluable service both to the Scottish public and, through international engagement, to so many others elsewhere.
“This is sad news for those of us in the SNP. But we must thank her for her time as First Minister and leader of the SNP, making it probably the most successful political party in the democratic world.”
Conservative Alister Jack, who is Secretary of State for Scotland, praised Sturgeon as a "formidable" politician and thanked her for the work she carried out to help deliver Scotland's new freeports – which include the Inverness and Cromarty Firth freeport – and were announced just last month.
"Nicola Sturgeon has been a formidable politician and I thank her for her service as First Minister for eight years," he said. "I particularly appreciate the work that she undertook to help us deliver two new Freeports in Scotland, bringing thousands of jobs and millions of pounds of investment.
"A new First Minister will have a real chance to re-focus the Scottish Government on what they were elected to do - improve public services such as health and education that people rely on and that are vital to Scotland's future success.
“Her resignation presents a welcome opportunity for the Scottish Government to change course, and to drop its divisive obsession with independence.
"I want to see a Scottish Government that works hand in hand with the UK Government to realise our full potential as a country.”
Trade union leader Roz Foyer also paid tribute to the "consistently high level of respect" the First Minister and government had shown to workers in Scotland.
The STUC general secretary said: “Throughout her leadership, the First Minister has shown a consistently high level of respect for the role of trade unions in Scotland and has been committed to working with us to establish Scotland as a Fair Work nation.
“Whilst we haven’t always agreed, there can be no doubt that we deeply valued our working relationship, working collaboratively on behalf of Scotland’s workers. This has, in no small part, been indicative of her leadership and personal commitment to respecting the function and position of the STUC and Scotland’s trade union movement. This will, undoubtedly, be a legacy of her time as First Minister and we look forward to continuing that collaborative work with the Scottish Government.
“I want to personally thank the First Minister for her unparalleled, long-standing public service to Scotland. We wish her all good wishes for the future.”
