Nicola Sturgeon has been referred to Police Scotland after being accused of breaking her own Covid laws after a video emerged of her mingling with people indoors while not wearing a mask.
While out campaigning ahead of the local council elections, the Scottish First Minister paid a visist to Icoic Gents Hair in East Kilbridge on Saturday where she was filmed shaving a customer’s beard.
The official video posted on her Twitter account shows her wearing her trademark tartan face mask.
But a separate video has emerged showing Ms Sturgeon mixing with customers and staff members indoors without the mask.
Scotland still has laws mandating people to wear face masks indoors at public settings, such as hairdressers and shopping centres.
The legal requirement will end on Monday 17 April and will become guidance.
The video has prompted Jane Lax, former treasurer of the Moray Conservative Association, to accuse the First Minister of “sheer arrogance” and claims to have reported her to Police Scotland.
Writing on Twitter, she said: “I’ve had enough of this disdain and sheer arrogance of Nicola Sturgeon.
“Someone has to report her to Police Scotland and as the opposition parties aren’t holding her to account, it will have to be little old me.
“It needs more than me doing it though.
“I am sure that Police Scotland will not do anything about it but if we do nothing, we are complicit in her ability to mock us.”
Other critics have pointed out that in the video she shared on Twitter, most of the customers in the barber shop were not wearing a face mask either and were congregating around the First Minister.
Alba Party general secretary Chris McEleny noted this and said: “Hi nicolasturgeon is the legal requirement, set by you, to wear face masks in barbers, hairdressers, beauty therapists, tattoo shops etc exempt if you’re there to make sure everyone is safe from coronavirus?”
Ms Sturgeon’s alleged breach comes just days after the First Minister reminded the public that wearing a face mask is “the best way to protect themselves and protect those they love”.
She called the practice of wearing a face mask a “sensible, basic precaution”.
It isn’t the first time Ms Sturgeon has been shown mingling with people indoors without wearing a face mask.
Last November she was pictured attending a family birthday party where the First Minister and other guests were not wearing masks.
She was also pictured not wearing a mask when posing for photos with visitors at the Scottish Parliament in March.
Ms Sturgeon has been a vocal critic of Boris Johnson’s alleged lockdown rule breaches and called on the Prime Minister to resign after the Metropolitan Police handed him a fine for breaking Covid laws on Tuesday.
i has contacted Ms Sturgeon for comment.
One rule for them, another for us. Unjust bunch of cowards. Major change needed.
Whatever you think of having to wear a face mask, Nicola can’t tell everyone to and then break the rules herself.
Having to wear face masks all around uni (as well as everywhere else) for the past 2 years hasn’t been the greatest thing ever.
Not happy at Nicola for this considering I have followed every single one of her rules. It’s not as bad as what Boris did, but it just shows again that our leaders think they don’t need to follow the rules that they expect all of use to follow.
Using covid laws as political attacks, shameful. We’re all doing our best. Time to forgive Boris and Nicola alike.
Cue all the people comparing this to Boris partying during the stringent lockdowns.
Obviously she should be abiding by the laws her government set but comparing the two is disingenuous.
In some ways its worse for sturgeon if she is found to have broken covid rules. Bojo has always been pretty anti lockdown and pushed back on occassion to restrictions. Sturgeon has been very trigger happy on the restrictions and always been stricter than england.
so she should have to pay a fine, but it may have been an oversight and not a resignation issue.
Seeing someone without a mask on in Scotland is hardly shocking as it’s not in any way enforced. Compliance has been plummeting recently. However Nicola has been calling for Boris to resign for breaking the rules so it seems incredibly hypocritical for her to waltz about with no mask on. It’s not even the first time she’s been caught without a mask.
Another politician being an utter hypocrite and breaking the law they set, who’d ever believe it…
Unless Boris steps down she just needs to deny it until police fine her then tell us to move on.
If Nicola Sturgeon resigned, that would create direct pressure on Boris Johnson’s own position, the local elections, and the general election, and the 1922 committee signatures.
I also wonder if the SNP would look stronger and more effective with fresh leadership, and appear to be a party with values when it comes to setting and abiding by its imposed Covid rules, by removing their own leader immediately and effectively for breaking them.
If we make excuses up for Nicola Sturgeon right here right now, that’s the end of Partygate, weather anyone likes it or not, and will sink the SNP independence case.
She was asked in to the shop and forgot to put on a mask at first but when pointed out she then put one on. Not really a police matter this I would say. Forgetting to put on a mask then noticing your mistake and putting it on.
She should go the same as Boris, both broke the rules they set for us….
I personally admire her leadership through the pandemic, but don’t really like her politics.
The fact some tories are jumping on this is pretty low – Boris Johnson lying to parliament (on many occasions) about gatherings during key lockdown periods, is not the same as Nicola sturgeon not wearing a mask in a barbershop a day or two before mask wearing becomes guidance.
She should be fined, but I don’t think this is close to resignation level offence, and that’s from someone who is pretty biased against her. There again, I hate the Tories, so maybe an event of my enemy etc
Calls for Boris to resign for breaking the law he made. Won’t resign for breaking the law she made.. yep hypocrisy.
Well, of course it’s Jane Lax.
A mental illness with a Loyalist attached to it.
Just goes to show even more masks were purely theatre. You don’t just forget you haven’t got your mask on when there is a super serious killer disease going around. Either she doesn’t consider it as seroois as the Scottish government made out or she is actively trying to kill people. SMH.
It is pretty funny how this sub bangs on about how good masks are and how anyone not wearing one is a twat but suddenly it’s alright because they think sturgeon is infallible
19 comments
Nicola Sturgeon has been referred to Police Scotland after being accused of breaking her own Covid laws after a video emerged of her mingling with people indoors while not wearing a mask.
While out campaigning ahead of the local council elections, the Scottish First Minister paid a visist to Icoic Gents Hair in East Kilbridge on Saturday where she was filmed shaving a customer’s beard.
The official video posted on her Twitter account shows her wearing her trademark tartan face mask.
But a separate video has emerged showing Ms Sturgeon mixing with customers and staff members indoors without the mask.
Scotland still has laws mandating people to wear face masks indoors at public settings, such as hairdressers and shopping centres.
The legal requirement will end on Monday 17 April and will become guidance.
The video has prompted Jane Lax, former treasurer of the Moray Conservative Association, to accuse the First Minister of “sheer arrogance” and claims to have reported her to Police Scotland.
Writing on Twitter, she said: “I’ve had enough of this disdain and sheer arrogance of Nicola Sturgeon.
“Someone has to report her to Police Scotland and as the opposition parties aren’t holding her to account, it will have to be little old me.
“It needs more than me doing it though.
“I am sure that Police Scotland will not do anything about it but if we do nothing, we are complicit in her ability to mock us.”
Other critics have pointed out that in the video she shared on Twitter, most of the customers in the barber shop were not wearing a face mask either and were congregating around the First Minister.
Alba Party general secretary Chris McEleny noted this and said: “Hi nicolasturgeon is the legal requirement, set by you, to wear face masks in barbers, hairdressers, beauty therapists, tattoo shops etc exempt if you’re there to make sure everyone is safe from coronavirus?”
Ms Sturgeon’s alleged breach comes just days after the First Minister reminded the public that wearing a face mask is “the best way to protect themselves and protect those they love”.
She called the practice of wearing a face mask a “sensible, basic precaution”.
It isn’t the first time Ms Sturgeon has been shown mingling with people indoors without wearing a face mask.
Last November she was pictured attending a family birthday party where the First Minister and other guests were not wearing masks.
She was also pictured not wearing a mask when posing for photos with visitors at the Scottish Parliament in March.
Ms Sturgeon has been a vocal critic of Boris Johnson’s alleged lockdown rule breaches and called on the Prime Minister to resign after the Metropolitan Police handed him a fine for breaking Covid laws on Tuesday.
i has contacted Ms Sturgeon for comment.
One rule for them, another for us. Unjust bunch of cowards. Major change needed.
Whatever you think of having to wear a face mask, Nicola can’t tell everyone to and then break the rules herself.
Having to wear face masks all around uni (as well as everywhere else) for the past 2 years hasn’t been the greatest thing ever.
Not happy at Nicola for this considering I have followed every single one of her rules. It’s not as bad as what Boris did, but it just shows again that our leaders think they don’t need to follow the rules that they expect all of use to follow.
Using covid laws as political attacks, shameful. We’re all doing our best. Time to forgive Boris and Nicola alike.
Cue all the people comparing this to Boris partying during the stringent lockdowns.
Obviously she should be abiding by the laws her government set but comparing the two is disingenuous.
In some ways its worse for sturgeon if she is found to have broken covid rules. Bojo has always been pretty anti lockdown and pushed back on occassion to restrictions. Sturgeon has been very trigger happy on the restrictions and always been stricter than england.
so she should have to pay a fine, but it may have been an oversight and not a resignation issue.
Seeing someone without a mask on in Scotland is hardly shocking as it’s not in any way enforced. Compliance has been plummeting recently. However Nicola has been calling for Boris to resign for breaking the rules so it seems incredibly hypocritical for her to waltz about with no mask on. It’s not even the first time she’s been caught without a mask.
Another politician being an utter hypocrite and breaking the law they set, who’d ever believe it…
Unless Boris steps down she just needs to deny it until police fine her then tell us to move on.
If Nicola Sturgeon resigned, that would create direct pressure on Boris Johnson’s own position, the local elections, and the general election, and the 1922 committee signatures.
I also wonder if the SNP would look stronger and more effective with fresh leadership, and appear to be a party with values when it comes to setting and abiding by its imposed Covid rules, by removing their own leader immediately and effectively for breaking them.
If we make excuses up for Nicola Sturgeon right here right now, that’s the end of Partygate, weather anyone likes it or not, and will sink the SNP independence case.
She was asked in to the shop and forgot to put on a mask at first but when pointed out she then put one on. Not really a police matter this I would say. Forgetting to put on a mask then noticing your mistake and putting it on.
She should go the same as Boris, both broke the rules they set for us….
I personally admire her leadership through the pandemic, but don’t really like her politics.
The fact some tories are jumping on this is pretty low – Boris Johnson lying to parliament (on many occasions) about gatherings during key lockdown periods, is not the same as Nicola sturgeon not wearing a mask in a barbershop a day or two before mask wearing becomes guidance.
She should be fined, but I don’t think this is close to resignation level offence, and that’s from someone who is pretty biased against her. There again, I hate the Tories, so maybe an event of my enemy etc
https://twitter.com/NicolaSturgeon/status/1513868123916668935?s=20&t=A_-NQ7D8rso_eJrBnzqsYQ
Calls for Boris to resign for breaking the law he made. Won’t resign for breaking the law she made.. yep hypocrisy.
Well, of course it’s Jane Lax.
A mental illness with a Loyalist attached to it.
Just goes to show even more masks were purely theatre. You don’t just forget you haven’t got your mask on when there is a super serious killer disease going around. Either she doesn’t consider it as seroois as the Scottish government made out or she is actively trying to kill people. SMH.
It is pretty funny how this sub bangs on about how good masks are and how anyone not wearing one is a twat but suddenly it’s alright because they think sturgeon is infallible
The person who reported her to police was Jane Lax – [This Tory](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-49433637).
TL:Dr – The one who was suspended for making jokes about Sturgeons miscarriage