Summary

  • First Minister John Swinney defends Nicola Sturgeon whom Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay says was a failure in office.

  • The former FM announced this week that she would not be standing at next year's election.

  • Findlay insists that Swinney is sticking with Sturgeon's "toxic agenda" of divisive nationalism and "trampling on women's rights". The FM hits back saying the Tories are the ones who are toxic.

  • Scottish Labour's Anas Sarwar says the SNP-led government's attitude to the defence sector in Scotland needs to change. He urges Swinney to back the UK's nuclear deterrent

  • Swinney says other countries have nuclear weapons and that did not stop the war in Ukraine from happening.

Live Reporting

  1. Findlay's tone is graceless - Swinney

    Russell Findlay in the Scottish Parliament, he wears a dark suit, blue shirt and tartan tie

    Swinney says Findlay’s tone towards Sturgeon is “graceless”.

    But Findlay criticises Scotland’s “plummeting” record on education and says it is an enormous failure.

    He asks Swinney to admit that the SNP has “failed a generation of young people”.

    The first minister refuses, and says the SNP has a “record low poverty-related attainment gap”.

    He says he was proud to serve as Sturgeon’s education secretary and deputy first minister.

  2. Background: Nicola Sturgeon announces her intention to step down as MSP

    Former first minster Nicola Sturgeon in a white jacket stands in front of houses and carsPA Media

    Nicola Sturgeon resigned as first minister in March 2023 after eight years in the role

    Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed this week that she is to stand down as an MSP.

    The ex-SNP leader said she would not seek re-election at the Holyrood election in May next year.

    After announcing her decision on social media, she told BBC Scotland News her time in parliament had been a "privilege beyond words".

    She added that the time was right for her to "close the book on that chapter and open a new one".

  3. What was Sturgeon's biggest failure?

    Nicola Sturgeon in the Scottish Parliament, she wears a pink shirt and glasses

    Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay begins FMQs asking what former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's "biggest failure in office" was.

    Swinney replies saying Sturgeon made Scotland a better country than it had been in the past.

  4. Analysis

    What can we expect from FMQs this week?

    Philip Sim
    BBC Scotland political correspondent

    Each of the party leaders might have a question on their favourite topics this week.

    The Conservatives increasingly seem to see the gender debate as the issue where they can take the lead at Holyrood.

    They led a debate on single-sex spaces yesterday, and Russell Findlay rarely misses an opportunity to bring it up with the first minister simply because they know it’s uncomfortable territory for him.

    Anas Sarwar loves a health question, so could the Labour leader hang something on Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement this morning about abolishing NHS England?

    Mr Sarwar has already suggested cutting the number of Scottish health boards down to three – could he now go further and suggest replicating Sir Keir’s cost-cutting bonfire of bureaucracy?

    The Greens have a question this week too, and Patrick Harvie has just seen the government ditch the heat in buildings bill that he drew up during his time as a junior minister. It’s an easy moment for him to underline his party’s environmental credentials and differentiate themselves from the SNP ahead of next year’s Holyrood election.

    John Swinney meanwhile always has an SNP backbencher lined up with a line to attack the UK government, with this week’s speculation about benefit cuts a likely possibility.

  5. Welcome

    John SwinneyPA Media

    Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of First Minister's Questions.

    We'll bring you reports and analysis throughout and you can watch by clicking on the play icon at the top of the page.