Former US president Donald Trump has bid “good riddance” to Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon following her shock resignation announcement.
Referring to Ms Sturgeon as a “failed woke extremist”, he also accused the outgoing leader of the Scottish National Party of fighting him over his golf courses in Scotland.
Criticising her government’s controversial gender reforms which have sparked a major row in recent weeks, Mr Trump insisted that the people of Scotland would be “much better off” without Ms Sturgeon in the top job.
“Good riddance to failed woke extremist Nicola Sturgeon of Scotland!” he said in a statement.
“This crazed leftist symbolises everything wrong with identity politics.
“Sturgeon thought it was OK to put a biological man in a women’s prison, and if that wasn’t bad enough, Sturgeon fought for a ‘Gender Recognition Reform Bill’ that would have allowed 16-year-old children to change their gender without medical advice.
“I built the greatest golf properties in the world in Scotland, but she fought me all the way, making my job much more difficult.
“The wonderful people of Scotland are much better off without Sturgeon in office!”
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The SNP leader made the shock resignation during a press conference in Edinburgh at her official residence, Bute House.
The 52-year-old said it had been “the very best job in the world” and one that has “sustained and inspired me in good times and in the toughest hours of my toughest days”.
But Ms Sturgeon said she believed part of “serving well would be to know almost instinctively when the time is right” to step down, adding: “In my head and in my heart I know that time is now, that it is right for me and my party and for the country.”
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‘Sturgeon made Scotland a better place’
The longest serving and first woman first minister insisted her decision was not down to “short term pressures”, such as the ongoing divisions in her party about transgender rights.
A senior Labour source said her decision showed it was “all over” for the independence campaign, and showed “after 15 years of failure, the SNP have run out of road”.
There have been a number of tricky issues for Ms Sturgeon in recent months, including splits in the party over her approach to transgender rights, and over her bill on gender recognition.
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Sturgeon: What next for independence?
Despite passing the legislation in Holyrood – which would have meant people could legally change their gender in Scotland without a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria – the bill was then blocked by Westminster, with ministers claiming it would have a “significant impact” on equalities.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who has been a longstanding critic of Ms Sturgeon’s approach on transgender issues, called for “reform and healing” in light of the first minister’s departure.