Nicola Sturgeon settles £100 bet lost to Douglas Ross

Nicola Sturgeon has settled her £100 bet with Douglas Ross over who would step down first.

The former SNP head made the wager with the Scottish Conservative leader in 2021 after Ross claimed the First Minister wouldn’t lead her party into the next General Election.

At the time, Sturgeon was defiant, insisting she wasn’t going anywhere.

But last month, after she resigned as First Minister after eight years in what she described as “the best job in the world”.

Sturgeon leaves office as the longest-serving and inaugural female First Minister since the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, remembered for the fight for Scottish independence and tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.

On Monday, after Humza Yousaf was elected as the SNP’s new leader, setting him up to be confirmed as Scotland’s next First Minister, Sturgeon revealed she had settled her dues with Ross.

During her final appearance in the top job at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, Ross raised the issue of what Sturgeon owed.

The wager has been settled with a donation to charity Children’s Hospices Across Scotland, which supports care for children across Scotland with life-shortening conditions and their families.

Tweeting on Monday, Sturgeon wrote: “You probably don’t know this as he has so rarely mentioned it [winking emoji] – but I lost a bet with [Douglas Ross] on who would stand down as leader of their party first.

“With his agreement I have today made a £100 donation to [CHAS] – a truly wonderful charity.”

Ross responded: “In her final day in office, Nicola Sturgeon and I finally agree on something.

“Very pleased CHAS benefits from the small bet we had.

“An outstanding charity doing great work across Scotland.”