Nicola Sturgeon defends record at final first minister’s questions – UK politics live

Sturgeon cites tackling child poverty as source of most pride

Helping to lift children out of poverty is the thing that she is most proud of, Nicola Sturgeon has said at her final first minister’s questions.

The SNP leader was speaking after she was teed up by a question from one of her backbench colleagues, who cited a new analysis which found that the lowest income families in Scotland were significantly better off (around £2,000 on average) as a result of the Scottish government’s tax policies.

Sturgeon starts by going on the attack, saying it is “really obvious” how uncomfortable the Conservatives become in the Scottish parliament chamber when the topic of poverty comes up.

She goes on to quote from findings by the Scottish Institute for Fiscal Studies that the Scottish government have made clearly a distributional choice to channel a lot more money towards low income families with children in particular and that has a meaningful impact on incomes.

“If I had to single out the thing I was proudest of it is that – helping lift children out of poverty in marked contrast to the approach of the UK government’s welfare system, where they push children into poverty. That is the difference, that is the contrast,” Sturgeon continues.

Updated at 09.04 EDT

Key events

Summary

The Bank of England has raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25% in response to higher than expected UK inflation and signs that Britain’s economy was holding up better than feared. In a fortnight of heightened unease in global financial markets, the Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) voted by a majority of seven to two to increase the base rate for the 11th time in a row.

Keir Starmer has vowed to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, setting out one of Labour’s core missions on crime as “unfinished business in my life’s work to deliver justice.” Starmer’s speech in Stoke-on-Trent launching the second of his five “missions” said he wanted to “imagine a society where violence against women is stamped out everywhere”.

Junior doctors in England will strike for four days between 11 and 15 April, the British Medical Association has said. Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said: “It is with disappointment and great frustration that we must announce this new industrial action.

The Albanian prime minister has criticised the UK home secretary, Suella Braverman, calling the singling out of migrants from his country a “disgraceful” moment for British politics. Edi Rama, who is in Britain for talks with Rishi Sunak, said Braverman’s comments last year about “Albanian criminals” crossing the Channel in small boats, could themselves be considered a crime.

Nicola Sturgeon has said being First Minister “of the country I love has been a profound honour”. Speaking at her final 286th FMQs, Sturgeon paid tribute to those who lost their lives to Covid-19 and singled out efforts to distribute money to low income families with children as the policy she was most proud of.

Hannah Summers

An urgent inquiry is needed into unregulated psychological experts ​being used in high conflict disputes to ​​diagnose whether one parent has attempted to ‘alienate’ ​their child ​from ​the other​, MPs have said.

Opening a debate on family court reform yesterday the MP for Coventry North West, Taiwo Owatemi, said false claims of so-called parental alienation were the “most damning aspect of our family court system”.

There is no one definition of “parental alienation” but the concept is generally understood to mean when a child rejects or is hostile to a parent for no other reason than they have been psychologically manipulated by the other parent.

However, there is growing concern that, too often, false claims of parental alienation are being used as a legal tactic to silence a parent or undermine allegations of domestic abuse.

Owatemi told the debate: “The concept has little to no evidence to support it, but is nonetheless one accepted, resulting in children being placed with an abusive parent.

“Not only are utterly unqualified individuals being allowed to testify as supposed experts in these cases, Cafcass too has overseen the rise in such allegations.”

Updated at 09.37 EDT

The leader of the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) has said the Windsor framework is a “sticking plaster” and that he is looking forward to negotiating with the prime minister and secretary of state.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s party voted against the Stormont brake element of the Windsor framework in the Commons on Wednesday.

“I am not interested in sticking plasters, they don’t work and I’m afraid there is in the Windsor framework an element of the sticking plaster,” Donaldson said.

“It won’t work, it will not deliver the long term stability and prosperity that Northern Ireland.”

Updated at 09.37 EDT

Scottish opposition leaders pay tribute to Sturgeon

Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, has followed Sturgeon’s concluding remarks by paying tribute to the precedent-setting political career of “a working class girl from Ayrshire”.

“While the Scottish first minister and I see each other as adversaries more than allies, and probably the final session reiterated that impression, let me add a little balance,” he said.

When Sturgeon leaves office, she will bring to a close a political career that few – if any – can match in its length, added Ross.

She had been a formidable campaigner and no one could deny that Sturgeon has left – “for better or worse” – a mark on her country.

Ross said that he recognised the positive message sent by the fact that a “working class girl from Ayrshire” could reach the heights they dreamed of.

The Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, paid tribute to Sturgeon’s public service over the course of 20 years.

“While we have disagreed about what is best for the people I have never for a moment doubted her love for Scotland,” he said.

Her election as first minister was a sign to women and girls that regardless of their politics, there should be no limit to their ambition.

Updated at 09.38 EDT

Sturgeon: ‘treat each other as opponents, not enemies’

Sturgeon’s final comments were addressed to the Scottish people, to whom she said: “Words will never convey the gratitude and the awe I hold in my heart for the opportunity to serve as your first minister.

“It truly has been the privilege of my life time, and with these words presiding officer I draw it to a close,” she said.

Earlier, after thanking the contributions of her political opponents, Sturgeon makes a plea for those around her to “treat each other as opponents, not enemies”.

Updated at 09.39 EDT

Sturgeon says she won’t repeat the reasons why she is stepping down, but adds: “Suffice to say, I know that this is the right time.”

After so many year in politics, it is time for Nicola Sturgeon the politician to make time for Sturgeon the person.

It was also time, she said, to make time for the causes she cared about, mentioning gender equality, young people, climate justice “and always, until the job is done, winning Scottish independence”.

She had made her fair share of mistakes and there were things she had wished she could have done “better and differently” but she pointed to achievements in areas including education, national investment and putting the climate emergency at the heart of all policies.

“As the first woman to hold this office, advancing gender equality has always been close to my heart,” she said.

“No girl has any doubt now that a woman can hold the highest office in the land,” Sturgeon added, with what appeared to be another lump in her throat.

Sturgeon pays tribute to her family and also to her political family, the SNP, which she joined at 16.

Updated at 09.02 EDT

Covid defined my time as Scotland’s first minister – Sturgeon

At the conclusion of her 286th and final session of first minister’s questions, Nicola Sturgeon says that she has led Scotland during good times but also through the toughest of its most recent history. Covid in many ways defined her time in power, she told the Scottish parliament

“My thoughts today and always are with those who lost loved ones to Covid, with those who live with long covid, with our young people who lost out on so many of the experiences of growing up and with everyone who endured the trauma of separation and loneliness,” she says.

“Covid shaped all of us. I know that it changed me and many ways defined my time as first minister. Above all it reinforced in me an abiding admiration for the people of this wonderful country.”

Updated at 09.03 EDT

Sturgeon cites tackling child poverty as source of most pride

Helping to lift children out of poverty is the thing that she is most proud of, Nicola Sturgeon has said at her final first minister’s questions.

The SNP leader was speaking after she was teed up by a question from one of her backbench colleagues, who cited a new analysis which found that the lowest income families in Scotland were significantly better off (around £2,000 on average) as a result of the Scottish government’s tax policies.

Sturgeon starts by going on the attack, saying it is “really obvious” how uncomfortable the Conservatives become in the Scottish parliament chamber when the topic of poverty comes up.

She goes on to quote from findings by the Scottish Institute for Fiscal Studies that the Scottish government have made clearly a distributional choice to channel a lot more money towards low income families with children in particular and that has a meaningful impact on incomes.

“If I had to single out the thing I was proudest of it is that – helping lift children out of poverty in marked contrast to the approach of the UK government’s welfare system, where they push children into poverty. That is the difference, that is the contrast,” Sturgeon continues.

Updated at 09.04 EDT

Downing Street has dampened any hopes the Democratic Unionist party might have that talks on Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland can be reopened.

The prime minister’s spokesperson said: “We’ve said consistently that we think we have an agreement that is right for all parties and all peoples in Northern Ireland.

“We gave significant time to parties to consider it and obviously we stand ready to answer further questions, but equally we do need to provide certainty and start seeing some of the benefits that this framework will bring.”

The foreign secretary, James Cleverly, is due to meet the European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič to adopt the Windsor framework in London on Friday.

Sunak yesterday escaped an overly damaging Commons rebellion over his revised plan for post-Brexit Northern Ireland trade, winning a vote on the measure with 22 of his own MPs voting against the deal.

Among the Conservative rebels were Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, another former party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, and the former cabinet ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg, Priti Patel and Simon Clarke.

Updated at 08.43 EDT

Bank of England raises interest rate by quarter of percentage point

The Bank of England has raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25% in response to higher than expected UK inflation.

The Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) voted to increase the base rate for an 11th consecutive time, judging that higher borrowing costs are still required to tackle inflation despite gathering storm clouds for the economy.

UK rates are now at the highest level since October 2008, just as the global economy was in the grips of the financial crisis.

The development comes after the UK’s annual inflation rate unexpectedly rose in February to 10.4% from 10.1% in January, fuelled by soaring food prices.

Follow related developments in detail on our live blog, anchored by my colleague Graeme Wearden.

Updated at 08.35 EDT

Proceedings in the Scottish parliament have been suspended amid the sound of shouting from the public gallery.