Nicola Sturgeon was accused of a “staggering lack of self‑awareness” after she told interviewers she was not particularly "into flags" and said Scotland had "collectively kind of lost our minds" over debates about gender reforms she championed as first minister.
Sturgeon made the comments during an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and at a public event in Aberdeen to promote her memoir, Frankly. On the daytime programme she was asked about union saltires flown in Aberdeen as a protest against asylum seeker hotels; she replied, "I've never been that into flags," and told presenters that people should "probably worry more these days about the living standards in the country" than about flags.
Her comments prompted swift criticism from opponents who said the remark was inconsistent with her party’s past use of the Saltire in independence campaigning and with her public image as SNP leader. Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said the remark showed "a staggering lack of self‑awareness" and accused Sturgeon of having "hijacked the Saltire to push their divisive independence obsession." Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie said the former first minister had previously "wrapped herself in flags for years." A Scottish Labour source pointed to repeated instances of Sturgeon posing in front of pro‑independence flags as evidence to the contrary.
At the Aberdeen event Sturgeon defended the Gender Recognition Reform Bill passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2022 that would have allowed people to change their legal gender by self‑identification. The law was blocked by the UK Government and subsequently by a Scottish judge after the UK Government argued it conflicted with UK equality law. The Supreme Court later issued a ruling in a separate challenge that described biological sex as key to a person’s rights, a development that followed legal challenges to Sturgeon‑era legislation.
Sturgeon said the debate over trans rights had become "toxic" and rejected calls to apologise for her record. "I have had journalists for a long time now asking will you apologise for the trans stuff? No, I will not apologise for standing up for trans people," she said. She also accused some critics of being "deeply misogynist, often homophobic, possibly some of them racist as well," remarks that previously drew controversy.
The criticism was not limited to party opponents. Critics of the gender reforms have argued that changes undermined the legal protections and safety of women and girls, a claim Sturgeon and her supporters have rejected. Scottish Conservatives said concerns raised by women and campaigners were ignored during the passage of the reform measures, and accused Sturgeon and then‑deputy first minister John Swinney of refusing to acknowledge error.
Sturgeon also commented on the broader political climate, saying Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was "selling snake oil" on immigration and predicting he would be prime minister if a general election were held immediately. A spokeswoman for Sturgeon said she would continue to speak her mind. "While increasingly irrelevant parties continue to hang on Nicola’s every word, she will continue to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes in," the spokeswoman said. Reform UK was approached for comment.
The exchanges come as Sturgeon promotes Frankly, her memoir reflecting on her years as Scotland’s first minister, her leadership of the Scottish National Party and her role in controversial policy debates that have continued to reverberate across Scottish and UK politics.