SNP MSPs send flowers to Nicola Sturgeon in wake of her arrest, as Humza Yousaf calls for unity
SNP MSPs have agreed to send flowers to Nicola Sturgeon as an expression of their “support” in the wake of her arrest by police investigating the party’s finances.
SNP depute leader Keith Brown said the decision had been taken at the regular weekly meeting of the party’s MSPs at Holyrood, the first since the former first minister was arrested on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Humza Yousaf described Ms Sturgeon as the “most impressive” politician in Europe as he faced down members of his own party who have called for her to be suspended.
The First Minister appeared at the group meeting and called for unity, winning several rounds of applause from MSPs in the process.
Ms Sturgeon was questioned for almost seven hours in relation to Operation Branchform, the ongoing investigation into the party’s funding and finances, before being released without charge pending further inquiries.
She issued a statement later saying she was “innocent of any wrongdoing” and had “committed no offence”, describing her arrest as “both a shock and deeply distressing”.
Three SNP parliamentarians have since called for her membership of the SNP to be suspended until the police investigation concludes.
However, Mr Yousaf has rejected calls for him to take action against the former party leader, her husband Peter Murrell and former treasurer Colin Beattie, who were arrested in April.
On his way into the SNP group meeting, the First Minister was asked if Ms Sturgeon remained an asset to the party in the wake of her arrest.
He replied: “Nicola Sturgeon is the most impressive politician I think we’ve seen in Europe. She’s an asset to our movement and to our party.
“It’s obviously a difficult time. It’s a very, very difficult time for her, a difficult time for our party and personally painful to many of us too.”
During the meeting, he addressed SNP MSPs including Ash Regan and Michelle Thomson, who have both publicly called for Ms Sturgeon to be suspended.
Asked if their comments had undermined his authority, Mr Yousaf said: “I will speak to our group. I think it’s important that we have a unified voice in these matters, but I’m not going to stop MSPs from expressing their view, that is entirely their prerogative.”
When they emerged from the meeting, Ms Thomson declined to comment on what had happened, while Ms Regan said: “I made my comment yesterday. I have nothing to add.”
After the meeting, Mr Brown told broadcasters: “We agreed to send flowers to the former First Minister as an expression of our support, so it was a very warm meeting.”
Earlier on Tuesday, he said he supported Mr Yousaf’s decision, arguing that it was in the interests of “natural justice” that Ms Sturgeon remained in the party.
“The arrest I appreciate is a dramatic thing to have happened,” he told the BBC. “It’s perhaps not as well understood that arrest is just a way of making sure that the interview and information gathering by the police is put into formal footing.”
