Nicola Sturgeon is Scotland's former First Minister and the first woman to lead both the Scottish Government and the SNP. She served as First Minister from 2014 to 2023, overseeing Scotland through Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and continuing debates over Scottish independence. Born in Ayrshire in 1970, Sturgeon joined the SNP as a teenager and rose through the party's ranks to become its longest-serving First Minister. She remains one of the most influential figures in modern Scottish politics. Read the latest Nicola Sturgeon news, interviews, analysis and updates from The National.