logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
24m 9s

What Nicola Sturgeon’s exit means for UK...

Financial Times
About this episode

Scotland’s first minister announced this week that she was stepping down after eight years in office. What does her resignation mean for the Scottish National party and Scotland’s independence campaign? We discuss the country’s future. Plus, presenter George Parker talks to Douglas Alexander, former Labour cabinet minister, about his Scottish Labour comeback and his party’s prospects.


With Scottish correspondent Lukanyo Mnyanda and special guest constitutional expert Professor Nicola McEwen. Produced by Anna Dedhar and Manuela Saragosa. The sound engineer was Breen Turner 


We'd like to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/politicssurvey It will take you around 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort earbuds! 


-Read the latest on UK politics 

-Follow @GeorgeParker 

-Subscribe to FT UK politics newsletter 

-Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com 

-View our accessibility guide


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Oct 6
Coming soon from Tech Tonic: Mission to Mars
US President Donald Trump has pledged to “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars”, China could send its first crewed mission to Mars within a decade, and Elon Musk wants people to actually settle on Mars, transforming the human race into an interplanetary species. In a ne ... Show More
1m 40s
Sep 30
Labour’s conference comeback?
This week, the Political Fix team comes to you from Liverpool — with all the news from the annual Labour Party Conference. Sir Keir Starmer struck a patriotic tone to the Labour faithful, promising to fight Nigel Farage’s “politics of grievance” and build a renewed, healthy Brita ... Show More
36m 27s
Sep 26
Does Starmer have a northern problem?
As the prime minister prepares for his annual party conference, the mayor for Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, seems to be mounting a thinly veiled bid for the Labour leadership. In numerous interviews given to the media this past week, Burnham said he had been privately urged b ... Show More
32m 16s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
Scotland’s Sturgeon arrested
The former first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, was arrested on Sunday, Boris Johnson’s exit from UK parliament will have consequences for the Conservative Party. Plus, former US president Donald Trump’s most recent indictment could have implications on his 2024 run for p ... Show More
9m 45s
May 2022
Is Scottish independence back on the agenda?
Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the SNP, has been pushing for Scottish independence since she was elected First Minister seven and a half years ago. The UK government has repeatedly rejected her calls, but after the local elections further strengthened the SNP, could a second referend ... Show More
26m 34s
Feb 2023
The UK's political battlegrounds
Last year the UK had three different prime ministers, four different chancellors and five different housing ministers. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's first minister for close to a decade, recently announced her resignation - and it’s not clear who will replace her. British politics ... Show More
57m 30s
Feb 2023
Independence fray: Scotland’s leader steps down
Nicola Sturgeon is bowing out after shaping a party that has defined itself on the notion of Scottish independence. What now for Scotland and for Britain more broadly? Our correspondent says that France’s protests against pension reform are about far more than the stereotype of b ... Show More
28 m
Feb 2024
58. Humza Yousaf, First Minister of Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon, independence, and his family's escape from Gaza
What is the future of the independence debate in Scotland? How was it to work with Nicola Sturgeon? Have world leaders done enough to curb civilian deaths in Gaza? On today's episode of Leading, Rory and Alastair are joined by Scotland's First Minister and leader of the SNP, Humz ... Show More
1h 4m
Apr 2024
Scotland’s first minister resigns
Humza Yousaf is resigning as Scotland’s first minister, and WeWork’s senior creditors are poised to take control of the reorganised co-working space provider. Plus, an Africa-focused venture capital firm has steered one of the region’s biggest fundraising efforts of the past five ... Show More
11m 30s
Apr 2024
242. Scotland in crisis, how to get an opposition MP to defect, and can Britain defend itself?
Who will replace Humza Yousaf as First Minister of Scotland? Will more Conservatives defect to Labour? What's the real story behind the UK's defence spending? TRIP ELECTION TOUR:To buy tickets for our October Election Tour, just head to www.therestispolitics.com 🌏 Get our excl ... Show More
55m 48s
Apr 2024
Humza Yousaf quits - does this spell the end for Scottish independence?
Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf has resigned – days after he cut the SNP's power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens.     It followed a bitter row over the SNP's climbdown on climate targets as he said the agreement between the parties had "served its purpose".     As a ... Show More
18m 58s