SNP leader John Swinney today defended Nicola Sturgeon's "toxic legacy of failure and division", just a day after the former First Minister announced she would step down as an MSP next year.
At First Minister's Questions, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said Nicola Sturgeon had “a vast back catalogue of failures” and had caused the public to lose trust in politics and feel disconnected from the Scottish Parliament.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: "If there’s a single word that defines Nicola Sturgeon and her politics it is ‘division’.
"Because of Nicola Sturgeon, people in the real world have never felt more disconnected from the Scottish Parliament.
"Nicola Sturgeon divided our country, betrayed women, broke her promises to pupils, launched a ferry with painted-on windows, raised taxes, alienated business, and allowed drug deaths to spiral to the worst in Europe.
"Even on her life’s mission, she failed. Nicola Sturgeon tried to break up our great country. But we, the Scottish Conservatives, stopped her.
"The first-ever female First Minister trampled on women’s rights. She couldn’t even bring herself to admit that a double rapist was a man.
"For years the SNP government was distracted by the fringe obsession of gender.
"Nicola Sturgeon focused on they/them, instead of improving public services for everyone.
"Now that Nicola Sturgeon is quitting, the SNP’s gender obsession should follow her out the door.
"John Swinney is standing by Nicola Sturgeon's toxic legacy of failure and vision.
"Yesterday’s man is standing by yesterday’s woman.
"How can John Swinney ever change Scotland for the better, when he’s been at the heart of the problem for two decades?"