London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Sturgeon accused of divisive rhetoric for saying 'I detest the Tories'

Sturgeon accused of divisive rhetoric for saying 'I detest the Tories'

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of using divisive rhetoric after she said "I detest the Tories"

She made the comments to Laura Kuenssberg when asked if she would prefer a Labour or a Tory PM.

Cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi said her language was "dangerous".

But Ms Sturgeon later told the BBC she did not regret her choice of words, which were not about individuals or Tory voters.

The Scottish first minister clarified that when she had said she "detests" the Tories, she was "referring to Tory policies and values that do a lot of damage".

Earlier in her interview on the programme Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Sturgeon hit out at the UK government's continuing opposition to granting Scotland another vote on independence.

Ms Sturgeon said she would "never, ever give up" on her push for a second referendum on independence, something Tory Prime Minister Liz Truss has ruled out.

Asked if Ms Truss was a friend or foe, Ms Sturgeon said that they were "political opponents" but she "would like to be a friend on the basis of the areas we can work together constructively".

However, when then asked if she would prefer a Labour or Tory government, Ms Sturgeon said: "I detest the Tories and everything they stand for so it's not difficult to answer that question."

Mr Zahawi - the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster - told the same programme: "I think that language is really dangerous."

He said he preferred to work with his colleagues in Scotland on delivering projects.

At the SNP's annual conference in Aberdeen, BBC political correspondent David Wallace Lockhart asked the first minister if Mr Zahawi's criticism of her language was fair.

"No it's not," Ms Sturgeon said. "I was referring to Tory party values and policies, policies that throughout much of my lifetime have devastated communities and plunged people into poverty."

During the conference, senior SNP politicians have attacked the Conservative government and its policies.

On Sunday some Tory politicians criticised Ms Sturgeon, accusing her of stoking divisions for political ends in Scotland.

In a tweet, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, said the comment about detesting the Tories was "clearly a rhetoric-raising strategy" ahead of Ms Sturgeon's speech to the SNP conference on Monday.

Conservative MP Andrew Bowie also tweeted to suggest the language was no way to win over voters who voted against Scottish independence in the 2014 referendum.

And Conservative MSP Annie Wells wrote in a tweet that the use of "detest" was "irresponsible language" from someone in Ms Sturgeon's position.

But some SNP politicians have defended Ms Sturgeon's remarks as they gathered for their party conference.

When asked if he detested the Tories, Deputy First Minister John Swinney told Channel 4 News he "had no stomach for the Tories whatsoever".

Pressed on whether "detest" was the right word to use, Ms Swinney repeated his earlier comment.

Earlier this week, Ms Sturgeon told the BBC she still had not had a phone call with Ms Truss, more than a month after she had become prime minister.

When Ms Truss was campaigning to be Tory leader, the prime minister branded Ms Sturgeon as an "attention seeker" who was best ignored.

In Sunday's interview with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Sturgeon said she had "always tried to work with her predecessors and I will try to work with her [Liz Truss]".

Ms Sturgeon took at swipe at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who she said "no longer wants to take the UK or Scotland back into the European Union".

But when asked if she wanted to see Sir Keir in Downing Street, she told Laura Kuenssberg that "being better than the Tories is not a high bar to cross right now".

She said: "I think we need to see more of a radical alternative from Labour rather than just a pale imitation.

"If you're asking me do I think either a Westminster Tory government or a Westminster Labour government are good enough for Scotland, then my answer to that is no."


Watch: I detest the Tories and everything they stand for - Nicola Sturgeon

Watch: No regret for saying 'I detest the Tories' - Sturgeon


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×