Nicola Sturgeon has been reported to police after footage showed her appearing to break Scotland’s Covid laws on face masks.
A video posted on social media showed the first minister not wearing a mask during a local election campaign visit to a barber’s in East Kilbride, south Lanarkshire, on Saturday.
In the mobile phone video Sturgeon, who became first minister in 2014, is seen without a face covering as she speaks to customers and pats the head of a man in a barber’s chair while mimicking the sound of electric clippers.
However, in another video posted on her official Twitter account from the same event, she can be seen wearing a tartan face mask as she shaves a man’s beard.
Restrictions in Scotland mean it is a legal requirement to wear a face covering in most indoor public places, including shops, public transport and hairdressers. The rules will become guidance on Monday, though they will recommend that people continue to wear masks when appropriate.
Sturgeon apologised in December 2020 when she breached Covid rules by taking off her face mask at a funeral wake, describing it as a “stupid mistake”.
Voters will go to the polls to elect their local councils in May.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have received a complaint, which is currently being assessed.”
An SNP spokesperson said: “The first minister was invited into the barbers during an outdoor visit on the street. Within a few seconds, she realised she hadn’t put her mask back on and immediately put it on.”
The Scottish Conservatives’ health spokesperson, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, said the incident showed that Sturgeon was a hypocrite.
“The video clearly shows Nicola Sturgeon isn’t practising what she preaches on face masks. She’s happy virtue signalling for official photos but behind closed doors it’s clear she doesn’t believe in her own rules, so why should anyone else?”
Press Association contributed to this report
