Nicola Sturgeon was told today that no amount of spin and secrecy could disguise her record of failure and division as First Minister.
At her final outing in the hot seat for FMQs, Douglas Ross listed numerous policy areas in which her government had fallen short and concluded she had “failed in every mission she set herself”.
The Scottish Conservative leader highlighted Nicola Sturgeon’s broken promise to close the educational attainment gap, as well as record drugs deaths, one in seven Scots languishing on NHS waiting lists, the ferries scandal and the divisive obsession with independence as legacies of her reign.
He added that “shameless political spin” had been the hallmark of the retiring First Minister’s time in office – and that this had continued to the very end, with the SNP lying to the press and public last week, leading to the resignation of both the party’s chief executive and communications chief.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: “Shameless political spin has dominated the First Minister’s time in office, but it can’t disguise her actual record.
“On Nicola Sturgeon’s watch, Scotland’s schools plummeted down international league tables.
“She made no progress on the attainment gap and broke her promise to close it completely.
“The Named Persons Act, the Hate Crime Act, the Gender Recognition Bill were all unworkable.
“Drug deaths in Scotland remain the worst in Europe – five times higher than anywhere else in the UK.
“One in seven Scots are on an NHS waiting list right now.
“And on her final day in the chamber as First Minister, a cross-party committee of this parliament delivered a damning report on ferries.
“They found that Nicola Sturgeon personally intervened to prioritise vanity over vessels, leading to huge delays and costing the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds.
“On these and so many other issues, Nicola Sturgeon ignored Scotland’s real priorities in favour of her obsession with independence.
“She divided our country and failed in every mission she set herself. That is the truth of the First Minister’s legacy.”