FORMER SNP MP Joanna Cherry has launched a furious attack on Nicola Sturgeon, claiming she “flirts and teases us with the idea that she might be a lesbian”.
Cherry’s remarks came during an appearance on Iain Dale’s All Talk at the Edinburgh Fringe. Sturgeon had appeared on the same show on Saturday, and accused Cherry of being “obsessed” with her and alleged that her book was “shit” .
Speaking to Dale on Monday, Cherry responded: “Don’t worry Nicola, I’m not obsessed by you. Unlike you, I have a very happy and meaningful career to fall back on.
“And also, perhaps in contrast to her, I have a very strong and happy relationship with my girlfriend, and I am open about my sexuality, and have been for a very long time.”
In her memoir Frankly, published last year, Sturgeon said she had never considered sexuality, including her own, to be binary.
Cherry went on: “As she flirts and teases us with the idea that she might be a lesbian, what I would say to her is you need to think about what you owe the generations of lesbians and gay men who fought so it was acceptable in this country, Scotland and the United Kingdom, to be gay and to have equal rights. To realise our protections under the Equalities Act are just as important as those of trans people.”
Speaking about Sturgeon, the former MP – who has now left the SNP – continued: “I would like to reassure her I have no interest in her, beyond thinking it’s very important for Scotland and my former political party and the independence movement to analyse what has gone wrong over the last 10 years, to look carefully at the various scandals that have happened, and to address them so we can all move on.
“I think it would be interesting if Nicola was ever prepared to address the detail of the criticisms I have made of her, rather than attacking me.”
Cherry stressed that “when it comes to people’s personal lives and sexuality, I think people are entitled to privacy, and I think Nicola is entitled to privacy”.
But with the issue having being mentioned in Sturgeon’s memoir, she added: “If she wants to bring the issue up then people are obviously going to want to go beyond the strange statement she made about her sexuality not being binary.”
She also dismissed suggestions that Sturgeon was a “bully” but instead described her as being “a Stalinist who could not bear to be challenged and was not interested in discussing ideas, policy or strategy”.
Cherry further said that she would consider rejoining the SNP under a new leader – with Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn mentioned – and did not rule out a return to frontline politics.
Amid the row, First Minister John Swinney posted an image to social media of himself on a ferry. "In my happy place," he wrote.
In my happy place. pic.twitter.com/hC21W19XDe
— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) August 10, 2026
