Everything's coming up roses for Nicola Sturgeon

Humza Yousaf orders SNP MSPs to back the former FM or quit

It isn’t clear exactly what variety of flowers the SNP parliamentary group sent to Nicola Sturgeon this week, to ease her distress at being arrested by police in the ongoing investigation into party funds – Scotch roses, perhaps, or spiky thistles. But some in the party might have suggested dead ones. One unkind MSP, quoted in the Times, said “it should be a wreath”.

A number of SNP politicians are clearly frustrated at her failure to stand down while the criminal investigation continues. The Hebrides MP, Angus Brendan MacNeil, tweeted: “This soap opera has gone far enough, Nicola Sturgeon suspended others from the SNP for an awful lot less”. Ash Regan MSP, the former community safety minister and leadership contender, said she should go of her own accord to “clear all this up”.

Humza Yousaf isn’t having any of it though. He called on SNP MSP’s to back the former leader or quit – an extraordinary threat if you think about it. You couldn’t have imagined Nicola Sturgeon calling on SNP politicians to support Alex Salmond back in 2018 when he was accused of misconduct. Salmond of course resigned voluntarily in order to avoid “giving the opposition a target to attack”. Nicola Sturgeon hasn’t. But perhaps Nicola Sturgeon’s arrest is not what it seemed at the time. That’s what some in the SNP leadership seem to believe as I’ll explain.