A LEADING pollster has suggested that Nicola Sturgeon’s “value” to the SNP could come in “heading up the campaign for independence”.
Speaking to The National’s sister paper The Herald on Sunday, John Curtice also delivered his verdict on whether Sturgeon would continue as an MSP.
The former first minister has submitted the relevant paperwork to her party to allow her to stand as a candidate but confirmed she is yet to make a final decision.
Her successor as first minister, Humza Yousaf, has already confirmed he won’t be running to be an MSP.
Curtice suggested that Yousaf accepted his “political career is over” and suggested “Sturgeon also probably will”.
“If you’re going to have Nicola Sturgeon (below), it’s got to be a front room role. If she is staying on – what is the purpose and how can the party use her,” he said.
“There is an obvious question of having resigned and decided to step back in February 2023, why does she want to carry on?”
Curtice continued to stress that Sturgeon’s campaigning skills could potentially be a valuable asset for the party.
He said: “The SNP don’t have any known charismatic leaders at the moment. With Salmond and Sturgeon they were very heavily reliant on that.
“But if she was to try to come back it would be very difficult. If Swinney wanted to start an SNP campaign to try to move the dial on independence and say to Sturgeon ‘will you do that?,’ I can see that being valuable.
“I can see that being valuable to the SNP because they definitely need to move the dial and Sturgeon is a very effective campaigner.
“If Operation Branchform comes to a conclusion that there isn’t a case to be pursued any further with her, and to that extent, she is in the clear, and particularly more so if the Crown and Procurator Fiscal Service decide not to pursue the case against her husband, then Sturgeon could be the SNP’s campaigner in chief for advocating the case for independence.
“But it needs to be something really clear and demarcated like that.”
The probe into the SNP’s finances has been ongoing since June 2023 with Sturgeon previously having been arrested and released without charge.
Her husband Peter Murrell, who was previously SNP chief executive, was charged by police in April this year with alleged embezzlement of party funds.
It is understood Police Scotland is awaiting direction from the Crown and Procurator Fiscal Service on how to proceed.
Curtice added that John Swinney will eventually have to look at who will succeed him as leader.
He said: "There is a general point which is that the SNP, particularly in 1999, were incredibly lucky in having such a number of really high profile people who cut their political teeth in the 1990s.
“It was Salmond, it was Sturgeon, it was Swinney, it was MacAskill, it was Mike Russell – really seriously big characters.
“Nobody else as yet has really managed to do that, apart from Stephen Flynn who has kind got himself into a wee bit of bother over the way in which he tried to get into Holyrood.
“He’s the one person who has demonstrated that kind of external outreach ability that the SNP probably do need at some point.
“Swinney is only able to steady the ship and life is now being made much easier by the fact that Sarwar is getting all the kickback against the UK Government.
“But even so, managing to hold on to a pro-nationalist majority or pro-independence majority in 2026, which is a kind of essential pre-requisite for being able to hold any referendum.
“It still looks at the moment a potential tall order.”
