Stop putting Nationalism before NHS, Sturgeon told

NICOLA Sturgeon was yesterday accused of putting her ‘independence army’ ahead of Scotland’s NHS patients, students and victims of crime in her bid to break up the UK.

At First Minister’s Questions, she was attacked over her record, amid claims she had prioritised ‘appeasing’ Yes voters over running the country.

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson led the criticism after Miss Sturgeon took to Twitter on Wednesday to defend the SNP’s Growth Commission report. Published last week, it provoked a series of rifts in the independence movement.

Miss Davidson said: ‘The truth is, we have a First Minister whose prime concern seems to be appeasing her own independence army rather than governing Scotland.

‘This is in a week where we’ve seen rising waiting lists in hospitals, we’ve seen fewer young people from deprived backgrounds going to university, and we’ve seen violent crime on the increase.

‘These are the important issues that the people of Scotland really care about. So why is it that the only folk getting any of the First Minister’s attention aren’t patients, they aren’t students, they aren’t victims of crime – but they are her own independence supporters?’

Miss Sturgeon responded by outlining a range of Scottish Deputy Scottish Political Editor Government actions this week, including her discussions with inward investors, the extension of a scheme to tackle period poverty, the abolition of child burial fees, action to tackle plastic use, and funding for the Stirling and Clackmannanshire city region deal.

She added: ‘The question for Ruth Davidson, I guess, is this – if she doesn’t want us to be talking about independence, why is she using her weekly opportunity at First Minister’s Questions to raise the topic of independence?

‘She just doesn’t want the positive case for independence to be heard.’

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard attacked Miss Sturgeon over her lack of attention to the ‘serious problems’ in the NHS.

He said: ‘There are serious problems in our National Health Service and they are growing. Labour raises them in this parliament, week after week.

‘The SNP, however, is expending more energy on its cuts commission than cutting NHS waiting times.

‘When is the First Minister going to stop putting Nationalism before the National Health Service?’

Miss Sturgeon replied: ‘We will continue to take action on health, education and the whole range of issues.

‘We will leave the Better Together parties to speak about whatever they want.’