Nicola Sturgeon: I didn’t know who the Scottish Minister Alister Jack was

The former First Minister told an audience at the Aye Write book festival at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall on Friday night that she did not know who Alister Jack was after he was appointed by Boris Johnson.

The reveal came as part of a talk show with comedian Janey Godley, where she discussed her new novel.

Ms Sturgeon and Godley discussed one of the now infamous voiceover clips that put Godley on the map, in which she pretended to be Nicola Sturgeon as Boris Johnson tried to usher her into Bute House in 2019, when he became Prime Minister .

Mrs Sturgeon said she did not know who Mr Jack was and that she first met him on the steps of Bute House.

She said: “I had never met him before. I literally had no idea who he was.

“I just thought, ‘Who are you?’

“That was also the time when Boris left through the back door.”

Ms Sturgeon also revealed they “sort of kidnapped” Mr Jack on his first visit to Bute House in 2019.

She said: “Between his arrival and his departure we sort of kidnapped Alister Jack.

“But that’s another story for another time,” she joked.

“I’ll leave that to the memoirs.”

Ms Sturgeon, who as leader and first minister faces questions about her party’s financial management, said the event was the “best therapy” she’s had in a long time.

Friday’s event concluded with Godley acknowledging in a special voice-over the “stress” Ms Sturgeon has been experiencing in recent weeks due to the police investigation into the SNP’s finances and the arrest of her husband, former SNP chief Peter Murrell had confessed.