Nicola Sturgeon says her instinct would be to back a united Ireland

Nicola Sturgeon served as Scotland's first minister for eight years

Scotland's former first minister has said Westminster governance has not served Northern Ireland well.

Nicola Sturgeon said her "political instinct would be in favour of a united Ireland".

However, she added that "detailed assessments" over whether Northern Ireland's future should be in the UK or as part of a united Ireland were "for people in Northern Ireland to make".

First elected to the Scottish parliament in 1999, Sturgeon was Scotland's long serving first minister when she stood down after eight years in the role in March 2023.

"And I get a bit prickly sometimes if people from outside Scotland start to sort of say what's best for Scotland," she told the BBC's Stephen Nolan Show.

"I'm a supporter of Scottish independence. I think Westminster governance has not served Scotland well... I'm not sure that it will have served Northern Ireland that well.

"What Brexit did to Northern Ireland and has done to Scotland is probably an example of that."

Sturgeon has released a memoir, titled Frankly, and announced that she will not seek re-election at next year's Holyrood election.