Nicola Sturgeon tells Sir Keir Starmer to ‘find a backbone’ and describes Labour as ‘pale imitation of the Conservatives’
Nicola Sturgeon has branded Labour a “pale imitation” of the Tories and called on Sir Keir Starmer to “find a backbone” and stand for something.
The former Scottish first minister refused to accept it was a given the SNP will lose seats to Labour at the next general election, as current polling predicts.
Speaking to broadcaster Iain Dale at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, she said there was “no point” in an opposition party that does not oppose the government.
Ms Sturgeon said: “I have spent my life opposing Tory governments who have never done anything good for Scotland. But what’s the point in a Labour Party that is just a pale imitation of the Conservatives?
“Every time you hear Keir Starmer open his mouth right now he seems to be at pains to agree with what the Tories are doing or to reduce the difference between them.
“You have to stand for something in politics or what’s the point of you. Find some backbone, that’s my advice to Keir.”
Labour sees taking back its former Scottish heartlands as crucial to winning the next general election.
A by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, triggered by the suspension of COVID rule-breaker Margaret Ferrier, has presented an opportunity for the party to re-establish its credentials north of the border.
But Labour has been on a charm offensive in Scotland ever since the sudden resignation of Ms Sturgeon in February and the ensuing turmoil in the SNP, which is facing a police probe into its finances.
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Ms Sturgeon has repeatedly maintained that her decision to stand down had nothing to do with subsequent developments in the investigation.
SNP police probe ‘traumatic experience’
Asked by Dale when she first realised the search of her home was happening, she said: “When it happened.”
Asked if that was “literally the knock on the door” she replied: “Yes. I’m not going to go any further into that, maybe one day I will be able to.”
Ms Sturgeon’s home, which she shares with her husband and former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, was searched in April with Mr Murrell arrested and questioned by police before being released without charge.
Ms Sturgeon was arrested, and also released without charge, in June.
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Sturgeon maintains her innocence in police probe
She said if she’d had “any idea about what was going to unfold” she would “not have been able to function” in the period between announcing her departure in February and leaving office at the end of March.
She added that it has “obviously been a really difficult, traumatic experience” but she had “faith” in the process.
“My touchstone I guess in all of it, all along, is I am confident in my own position. I am absolutely certain I have done nothing wrong.
“Therefore I need to and do trust in the process.
“The police are doing a job and therefore I have to have faith that everything they are doing in the process of that is justified.”
Reconciliation with Salmond not on the cards
Ms Sturgeon told the audience that her closest group of friends have been “utterly indispensable” in helping her get through the scandal.
But she said former SNP leader Alex Salmond was firmly not in that category as she ruled out a chance of reconciliation with her predecessor.
The pair had a well-publicised fall-out after Mr Salmond faced sexual harassment allegations but he said this week “never say never” when asked about the prospect of repairing their relationship.
However Ms Sturgeon said: “It doesn’t come from a place of anger any more, I have gone through the whole spectrum of emotions with Alex over the last few years and I am now at a place where there are other people I would rather spend time with.”
Despite the ongoing market meltdown on US trade tariffs, executives at major cryptocurrency firms Messari and Sygnum are bullish on institutional Bitcoin adoption later in 2025.
Speaking on a panel at Paris Blockchain Week on April 8, Messari CEO Eric Turner and Sygnum Bank co-founder Thomas Eichenberger said they expect a significant shift in the banking sector’s involvement with crypto in the second half of the year.
According to the executives, the global banking push into Bitcoin (BTC) services has great potential to happen in the second half of 2025 as regulators embrace crypto, including stablecoins and crypto services by banks.
“I think we’re probably looking at a muted Q2, but I’m really excited for Q3 and Q4,” Messari’s Turner said during the panel discussion moderated by Cointelegraph CEO Yana Prikhodchenko, forecasting “really interesting” things coming to the crypto market in 2025.
Crypto adoption is not just about Trump
While some investors focus on the pro-crypto stance of US President Donald Trump, Turner emphasized that broader regulatory momentum is what matters most.
“When you look at the potential of having market structure regulation in the US, stablecoin regulation, and just the fact that across the board, not just President Trump himself, but the SEC and all these regulatory industries are really embracing crypto,” Turner said.
Paris Blockchain Week’s panel with Cointelegraph CEO Yana Prikhodchenko, Bancor co-founder Eyal Hertzog, Sygnum co-founder Thomas Eichenberger, Messari CEO Eric Turner, AWS fintech leader Alex Matsuo and Near chief operating officer Chris Donovan. Source: Cointelegraph
Sygnum co-founder Thomas Eichenberger said international banks with US branches are also poised to enter the market once the legal landscape becomes clearer:
“I think it’s a matter of fact that US banks are preparing to be able to offer crypto custody and at least crypto spot trading services anytime soon.”
“I think by then I would agree with you, Eric,” he continued, projecting a continued phase of market uncertainty until the US establishes a clear regulatory framework.
Related: Ripple acquires crypto-friendly prime broker Hidden Road for $1.25B
Banks are no longer afraid of Bitcoin regulators
With the establishment of clear crypto rules for banks in the US, there will be a rush for crypto services by large international banks that are incorporated outside of the US but have a US-based presence, Eichenberger said.
“Some of them may have had their strategic plans in their cupboard to offer crypto-related services, but have been afraid that at some point they will be gone after by any of the US regulatory authorities,” he said, adding:
“Now I think there’s no one to be afraid of anymore in terms of regulatory authorities worldwide. So I think many of the large international banks will launch this year.”
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Global trade tensions triggered by US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff measures may come to an end with a potential deal with China as investors remain concerned about escalation from both sides.
Trump’s April 2 announcement of reciprocal import tariffs sent shockwaves through global equity and crypto markets. The measures include a 10% baseline tariff on all imported goods, effective April 5, with higher levies — such as a 34% tariff on Chinese imports — set to begin on April 9.
However, the tariff negotiations may only be “posturing” for the US to reach an agreement with China, according to Raoul Pal, founder and CEO of Global Macro Investor.
“In the end, almost all the other tariff negotiations and rhetoric are all about getting China to agree a deal,” Pal wrote in an April 8 X post, adding:
“That is the big prize and both China and the US understand it and need it. Everything else is negotiation posturing. China needs a weaker $ and the US needs tariffs.”
Source: Raoul Pal
“Also, the US is trying to shut down China tariff arbitrage using other channels such as Mexico or Vietnam,” Pal said.
Related: Bitcoin price can hit $250K in 2025 if Fed shifts to QE: Arthur Hayes
China retaliates with new tariffs
Considering China’s latest retaliatory measures, a resolution remains unlikely in the short term.
In response to US tariffs, China imposed a 34% tariff on all US imports effective April 10, media outlet Xinhua News reported on April 4. China’s foreign ministry also vowed to “fight till the end” against Trump’s tariffs, which it called “bullying” by the world’s largest economy.
China overtakes the US in global trade. Source: Econovis
China overtook the US in 2012 to become the world’s largest trading nation by the total value of exports and imports, surpassing $4 trillion in goods trade that year, according to The Guardian.
Crypto markets watch trade outcome closely
As the trade dispute continues to evolve, analysts say a potential agreement between the two global superpowers could serve as a key catalyst for recovery in digital asset markets.
Crypto markets have a 70% chance to bottom by June 2025 before recovering, Nansen analysts predicted.
Related: Crypto market bottom likely by June despite tariff fears: Finance Redefined
Investor appetite for risk assets such as Bitcoin will depend on the global tariff responses from other countries, according to Nicolai Sondergaard, a research analyst at Nansen.
“We have reached somewhat of a local bottom in regard to tariffs and the impact on prices,” the analyst said during Cointelegraph’s Chainreaction live show on X, adding:
“Trump came out guns blazing, and we’ve mostly seen the worst from the US side, so we’ll see if other countries are willing to drop some of the tariffs because it’s very likely the US will do the same.”
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