Nicola Sturgeon has admitted she "didn't anticipate" how much criticism her gender reform legislation would attract. The former first minister of Scotland made the revelation in an upcoming television interview with ITV.
Speaking ahead of the publication of her memoir titled Frankly, due for release on 14 August, Sturgeon acknowledged she should have paused the controversial legislation. She said the strong backlash caught her off guard.
Sturgeon's legislative regrets
The former SNP leader told ITV: "I didn't anticipate as much as I should, or engage as much as I should, on some of the concerns that might then be triggered." She added that when she realised the issue was becoming polarised, she should have stepped back.
Sturgeon maintained her belief that "the rights of women and the interests of trans people are not irreconcilable at all". She reflected: "I should have taken a step back and said, 'How do we achieve this?'"
Police raid experience
In what marks her first television interview before the memoir's publication, Sturgeon also discussed her experience of being raided by police with presenter Julie Etchingham. She described struggling to recall clear memories of the incident.
"I genuinely don't know whether the fact that I don't have a clear image of that in my head is because I didn't witness it or that I have kind of somehow blocked it out," she said. Sturgeon only saw pictures of her house "looking like a murder scene effectively" when she arrived at her parents' home.
Personal revelations
She described the experience as generating "this sense of horror and upset and the kind of shame of it all". Walking into a police station was "horrific" and part of her "closed down", she told ITV.
In her book, the former first minister reveals she has never considered sexuality, including her own, to be binary. When asked about this statement, she told ITV: "It's just my view of the world and life and the way people are."
Future relationships
When pressed about whether she might enter a relationship with a woman, Sturgeon said she was not rushing into any relationship following her recent divorce. "I'm enjoying being my own person for a while," she explained.
She added: "I'm not contemplating sort of anything of that nature. I'm just enjoying life." The interview also covered her relationship with Alex Salmond and a miscarriage she previously suffered.
Nicola Sturgeon: The Interview will be broadcast on Monday, 11 August at 7pm on ITV1, ITVX and STV. An extended version will be available on ITVX in the following days.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
