06 April 2020

Nicola Sturgeon says chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood had to 'pay the price' for her actions

Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said her chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood had to 'pay the price' for her actions.

It emerged yesterday that Calderwood twice broke her own social distancing advice after she was pictured visiting a holiday home with her family.

Initially Sturgeon had said Calderwood could remain in her position as she valued her advice, but the chief medic resigned last night.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Sturgeon said: "We had a long conversation last night, and it was my view, but she came to the same view. 

"So we came to that by mutual agreement, but it was my firm view by last night that that was the correct course of action. She made a serious error of judgment and she has paid the price for that."

She also denied defending Calderwood by initally keeping her in her position.

"I didn’t try to defend what she’d done because I didn’t think she should or can be defended. 

"Last night, it became clear to me, and it became clear to her, that actually however valid that reason was, the bigger risk if she stayed in office was that important message could be undermined and that was not a risk either of us were willing to take."

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