They are two of the biggest characters in modern British politics but could not be more different. The showman-like Boris Johnson and the down-to-earth Nicole Sturgeon were tasked with the enormous responsibility of steering the nation through the Covid-19 pandemic, and often clashed. Yet both former leaders are not just out of power but facing disgrace.
On Friday, Boris Johnson suddenly quit as an MP – before the publication of a report into whether he misled parliament over the Partygate scandal, which would have led to a suspension that would have prompted a byelection. The Guardian’s political editor, Pippa Crerar, explains how in his furious resignation letter Johnson criticised the inquiry by the privileges committee, calling it a “kangaroo court” but also hit out at Rishi Sunak’s government. On Sunday came the news that Nicola Sturgeon had been arrested as part of a police investigation into allegations of financial misconduct by the Scottish National party. The former first minister of Scotland has proclaimed her innocence and said the experience was “deeply distressing”.
Johnson quitting and Sturgeon’s arrest could be turned to Labour’s advantage but could prove to be headaches for their parties’ current leaders, Hannah Moore hears. How can Sunak and the Scottish first minister, Humza Yousaf, keep voters focused on policies and achievements rather than the turmoil and in-fighting their predecessors have left behind?
Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA
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