NICOLA Sturgeon will owe Douglas Ross £50 after reportedly making a bet with him that she would not step down as First Minister before the next Holyrood election.
The £50 bet, made in 2021, between the two party leaders reportedly came after Ross told The Telegraph he expected the SNP leader to step down before 2026 as she currently “just looks a bit fed up at times”.
“I don't get the impression she wants to be there,” he added.
However, in a show of defiance revealed by anonymous sources to The Scottish Sun, the First Minister bet £50 that she would be in place by the next election.
The move reportedly came as the two waited to meet the Queen at the official opening of the Scottish Parliament.
The SNP leader reportedly also made it “double or quits” over who lasts longer at the head of their party.
Sturgeon, who announced her resignation today, has outlasted two Scottish Tory leaders – with Ruth Davidson stepping down in 2019 and her replacement Jackson Carlaw being ousted after just a few months later in 2020.
A source told The Sun: “The First Minister came in and straight away she brought up the Telegraph story.
“Douglas said he stood by it, so Nicola said did he want to have a bet over it. Douglas said ‘great, how much?’ There was a bit of back and forth and they settled on £50.
“Then, Nicola said ‘double or quits over who outlasts the other one as party leader’. So, they agreed on that too.”
The First Minister’s spokesperson confirmed the story, saying: “Nicola was happy to challenge Ross to put his money where his mouth is, and to make it double or quits on who lasts longer as party leader – a bet she is more than confident of winning.”
