SNP MSPs agree to send flowers to Nicola Sturgeon, following her arrest
The SNP's Holyrood group met today for the first time since the former First Minister was questioned by police investigating party finances
The SNP’s Holyrood group has agreed to send flowers to former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as “an expression of support”, following her arrest as part of an investigation into party finances.
Police Scotland confirmed on Sunday that Ms Sturgeon, who was Scotland's longest serving first minister when she stepped down from the job in March, had been arrested as part of Operation Branchform.
She was later released without charge.
That mirrored what happened after her husband, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, and then SNP treasurer Colin Beattie, were arrested earlier this year as part of the same probe.
"A very warm meeting"
Speaking after the party’s MSPs met at Holyrood for the first time since the former First Minister’s arrest, deputy leader Keith Brown told Greatest Hits Radio News it had been a “very warm meeting”: “I think if you were one of the journalists standing outside the meeting you’ll have heard a number of rounds of very warm applause for the address that we had from the First Minister.
“In addition to that we agreed to send flowers to the former First Minister as an expression of our support.”
Mr Brown also backed First Minister Humza Yousaf’s decision not to suspend Ms Sturgeon from the party: “There’s a very legitimate discussion about the process by which somebody should be suspended.
“I think first of all it’s worth making clear that I completely support the First Minister’s view that there is no reason to suspend Nicola Sturgeon.
“She’s not been convicted, she’s not been alleged to have done something wrong, she’s not been accused, and she’s been released.”
While Ms Sturgeon has insisted she is "innocent of any wrongdoing", her successor has come under pressure from both inside and outside of the SNP to suspend her membership of the party.
First Minister described as "weak" for not suspending Ms Sturgeon
His failure to do so has seen political rivals brand the new SNP leader as "weak".
But, speaking to journalists in Holyrood, Mr Yousaf insisted that was not the case.
He said: "The reason I am doing it is because I believe in natural justice. I believe in due process. She was released, of course, without charge."
Speaking about his predecessor, who spent more than eight years in the top job in Scottish politics, he said: "Nicola Sturgeon is the most impressive politician I think we have seen in Europe, she is an asset to our movement, and to our party.
"It's obviously a difficult time, it's a very very difficult time for her and a difficult time for our party and personally painful to many of us."
Former SNP leadership contender Ash Regan, and MP Angus MacNeil, both of whom were critics of Ms Sturgeon, are also amongst those who have suggested that she should be suspended.