NICOLA Sturgeon could be set to rake in millions after stepping down as an MSP, an expert has claimed.
The former First Minister already has a several different revenue streams in place for her life post-politics and has allegedly made more than £640,00 since leaving Scotland’s top job.
Nicola Sturgeon could be set to rake in millions after quitting politics[/caption]
It comes after the ex-SNP leader announced she is set to quit as an MSP and will not to seek re-election to Holyrood next year.
Sturgeon – who represents the Glasgow Southside constituency – made the announcement on Instagram on Wednesday.
Ms Sturgeon previously resigned as First Minister in February 2023 after eight years in the top job.
Her announcement comes almost two years after after she was arrested and released without charge as part of the Operation Branchform probe into SNP finances.
And once the dust settles on her time in Holyrood, popular culture expert Nick Ede reckons the ex-FM has the “power to make millions”.
He told the Scottish Sun: “Nicola will be able to make far more than she did when she was a politician – she’s got the power to make millions with lucrative deals.
“Whatever she decides, she can make millions and profit from her past and also use it to steer a more positive narrative about herself.”
Meanwhile Scottish Tory deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: “Like a football manager who flops at a big club, Nicola Sturgeon is about to discover that failure can sometimes pay handsome dividends.
“But her post-Holyrood riches will stick in the craw of Scots who suffered as a result of her dismal record in virtually every policy area.”
And Scottish Labour’s deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “While Nicola Sturgeon heads off to start a new career, Scotland continues to deal with the legacy of her failures in government.
“There is no hiding from the SNP’s woeful record in government – from the crisis it has created in our NHS to the shameful poverty-related attainment gap in our schools.”
Here’s some of the main ways she will make her money as she branches out after establishing ‘Nicola Sturgeon Limited’ at Companies House.
‘TELL-ALL’ MEMOIR
Ms Sturgeon signed a bumper book deal with publisher Pan Macmilan and received a £300,000 advance for the agreement.
She claimed the autobiography, set for release in August, required ten to 15 hours of work per week to finish.
The first-time author got £75,000 as the first of four instalments of the advance, Ms Sturgeon’s register of interests said.
Her ‘tell-all’ book will be one of her biggest earners[/caption]
But experts reckon she could make up to £1million from the memoir if sales go through the roof.
The ex-SNP leader said it would be a “candid” take on her time at the top of Scottish politics.
She said: “I think it’s a very candid book, people will judge it on its merits, and no doubt you and all of the other standing people have things to say about it. But it’s candid.
“I have, I think, I hope, been very open about the things I’m proud of or have done right, and the things that I don’t think I did as well as I might have done.”
Brand and culture guru Nick said: “Her autobiography could become a bestseller and a subsequent book tour and even TV adaptation could be on the cards.
“She may follow fellow Scots celebrity Lorraine Kelly and start to write fiction which can be extremely luctrative.”
TV DEALS
Ms Sturgeon has already found success as a TV pundit – sitting through the SNP’s calamitous election results night at last year’s General Election for ITV.
She earned £25,000 for the gig – and raised eyebrows at her refusal to take responsibility for the painful defeat which saw the SNP drop to just nine MPs.
She also banked £2,804 of hotel accommodation in the week around as well as £329 worth of car travel to and from rehearsals and the studio.
The ex-FM was paid £25,000 for her election pundit appearance[/caption]
Nick, who runs his own PR firm and charity foundation and has appeared numerous times on TV, added: “She’s fast becoming a go-to pundit for TV stations on politics and beyond.
“I can see her being offered a big scale reality show like I’m a Celeb where she will follow in the footsteps of Nigel Farage and Nadine Dorries and Matt Hancock.
“She may want to show off an even tougher side and enter Bear Grylls Bear Hunt on Netflix or reveal her duplicitous side by appearing on the Traitors.”
COLUMNS & BOOK REVIEWS
The book-loving ex-Nats chief has also already earned thousands writing book reviews.
She earns anywhere from £700 to £1000 per article for the New Statesmen, bringing in £4150 according to her register of interests.
She’s also been paid £500 for a piece in The Guardian.
GOLDEN GOODBYE
Holyrood rules around pay-offs see those with lengthy parliamentary careers receive a significant bonus when they leave the parliament.
As such, Ms Sturgeon is set to be paid a £74,506 resettlement grant – or ‘golden goodbye’ – for serving more than 12 years as an MSP, which is 12 months of annual salary.
BUMPER PENSION
It is also believed the ex-SNP leader is in line for a whopping £42,000 per year as part of her MSP pension once she turns 65.
This will be topped up by a further £19,600 from her First Minister pension – meaning Ms Sturgeon can expect to earn around £62,000 per year once she hits retirement age.
Sturgeon’s announcement letter in full
Dear friends,
I am writing to let you know that I have decided not to seek re-election to the Scottish Parliament next year.
As members of the SNP in Glasgow Southside, I wanted you to be the first to know.
I also wanted to put on record my heartfelt thanks to all of you for the unstinting support, loyalty and friendship you have shown me over the years in which I have had the privilege of being your MSP.
It means more to me than you will ever know.
Reaching this decision has been far from easy. However, I have known in my heart for a while that the time is right for me to embrace different opportunities in a new chapter of my life, and to allow you to select a new standard bearer.
Whoever you choose will have my full support and I look forward to campaigning alongside you to ensure that Glasgow Southside remains an SNP-held constituency.
Being one of the original 1999 members of the Scottish Parliament and, by the time of the election, having served in it for twenty-seven years – almost exactly half my life – has been an honour beyond words.
It is also one that I could never even have imagined when I joined the SNP at just sixteen years old.
The gratitude I owe to my constituents, past and present, for the trust they have placed in me knows no bounds.
I will continue to represent them to the best of my ability until I step down next year-assisted by my dedicated office staff, to whom I also owe grateful thanks.
Glasgow Southside is a wonderful constituency.
Indeed, in my (completely unbiased) opinion, it is the best in Scotland.
With its rich diversity of culture, faith and ethnicity, it is in many ways a microcosm of what a vibrant, successful country should look like.
Like every area, Glasgow Southside faces challenges. I have done my best every day as an MSP to help overcome these.
While my successor must continue that work, they will also be representing a constituency in which much progress has been made.
There is new and improved housing across the constituency. The iconic – and rebuilt – Citizens Theatre will soon re-open its doors, paving the way for the further regeneration of the Gorbals.
Govanhill Baths is continuing its journey back to being the beating heart of its community.
A new footbridge spanning the Clyde now links Govan to the north of the city.
Anyone who takes a walk through Shawlands or Pollokshields or down Victoria Road will know that these are now amongst the most exciting, up and coming parts of our city.
I am so proud to have represented all of the fantastic communities that make up Glasgow Southside – its people, places and landmarks will be in my heart forever.
Of course, for most of my years as an MSP, I have also been a Minister in the Scottish Government.
I hope that the policies I have been able to implement, particularly as First Minister – from the Scottish Child Payment and expanded early years education, to investment in housing and new hospitals – have benefited my constituents as much as they have people across the rest of Scotland.
I joined the SNP in 1986 because I wanted to play my part in building a fair and prosperous Scotland and I have dedicated my life to that task ever since.
I believed then that winning our country’s independence was essential to Scotland reaching her full potential, and I still do.
Even though I am preparing to leave elected politics, I hope to contribute in different ways to making that ambition a reality.
Indeed, given the challenges facing the world today, it is more important than ever that progressive voices, inside and outside of Parliaments, continue to speak up for fairness, equality and dignity for all.
Be in no doubt that I will always speak out and stand up for what I believe in.
In making this announcement, it is inevitable that I feel a mixture of sorrow and anticipation. I am sad to be closing the book on this remarkable and deeply fulfilling chapter of my life; but I am also hugely excited about the start of a new phase, in which I will discover different ways to advance the causes I care so much about.
I hope to stay in touch with all of you along the way.
With my love, gratitude, and eternal friendship,
Nicola
