In power for nearly a decade, Nicola Sturgeon is Scotland’s longest-serving First Minister. She reshaped Scottish politics, leading the SNP through moments of crisis and opportunity, from the 2014 independence referendum to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since stepping down in 2023, Sturgeon has remained a powerful and sometimes polarising figure in public life. She reflects on this in her new memoir, Frankly.
She joins Anoosh Chakelian to discuss nationalism in Scotland, the shadow of Alex Salmond, and her public row with the author JK Rowling. In her words, “ where does she get the time to obsess about me?”