Nicola Sturgeon accused of being a ‘diva’ for employing umbrella holder on campaign trail
NICOLA Sturgeon has been accused of behaving like a pop star diva after employing an umbrella holder during a downpour in Glasgow yesterday.
The heavens opened while the First Minister was on the campaign trail in Partick, where Greens leader Patrick Harvie is attempting to unseat the SNP's Patrick Grady.
Thankfully for Ms Sturgeon and her new short hairstyle, which was debuted to mixed reviews at the party conference in March, an aide was on hand to hold her umbrella.
A Tory source said: "It is normally the preserve of celebrities like Cheryl Cole to employ an umbrella handler. This was not quite the image the First Minister wanted to present to the hard-working people of Partick."
Ms Sturgeon later visited a farmers' market and claimed the SNP would act as "Scotland's bulwark" against Theresa May's government.
She said: "Now more than ever, we need strong SNP voices to stop the the Tories dragging Scotland backwards.
"In Scotland, it is only the strong voice of SNP MPs at Westminster, combined with an effective SNP government, that has protected Scotland from the full force of the Tories at Westminster.
The First Minister also bumped into Booker prize-winning author James Kelman and even plugged his latest novel.
She tweeted: "A real treat this morning to run into one of my favourite writers, James Kelman. If you haven't read Dirt Road yet, you should."
The Glaswegian voted Yes in the 2014 referendum although he warned that all forms of nationalism were "dangerous, and should be treated with caution".
Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie was in Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute, where Ms Sturgeon had also visited along with East Dunbartonshire, North East Fife and Inverness.
He said: "The SNP are rattled. They have spent three whole days trying to stop us. The First Minister has been playing 'me and my shadow'.
"Everywhere I go, the SNP follow. We know we are the challengers in these seats. The SNP know we are the challengers. It is now up to local people to rally behind the Liberal Democrat challenger to stop the SNP.
"We can stop another divisive independence referendum."