Since leaving Bute House, Nicola Sturgeon has set up an eponymous company to handle income from her earnings outside politics.
Only weeks after securing a book deal for her memoirs, the ex-First Minister established 'Nicola Sturgeon Limited' with Companies House.
Experts estimate that she could potentially earn up to £1 million from her agreement with publisher Pan Macmillan.
Ms. Sturgeon has obtained a £300,000 advance for her forthcoming autobiography, which is currently untitled and slated for release this August.
In August 2023, Ms. Sturgeon was awarded £75,000, marking the first of four payments of the advance, according to her register of interests.
She projected that the book would require approximately ten to fifteen hours of work each week.
Ms. Sturgeon established the company in September 2023 and remarked at that time that 'future book sales and associated revenues will be directed to it.'
According to the register of interests, since December 2023 the company has been paid £29,650. Payments include £25,000 from ITN for being a pundit on ITV’s General Election coverage in July, when she gave her analysis of the SNP’s catastrophic results.
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Ms. Sturgeon also benefited from £2,804 in hotel accommodations during the week surrounding the July 4 event, in addition to £329 spent on car travel for rehearsals and trips to the studio.
Upon the announcement of the payment, her political rivals labeled her as a ‘hypocrite without shame’ – during her tenure, the SNP had condemned Ruth Davidson, the previous head of the Scottish Conservatives, for accepting a comparable payment in 2019.
According to the register, Nicola Sturgeon Limited has been paid £4,150 by the leftist publication New Statesman for writing five book reviews.
In October 2024, the company received a payment of £500 from the Guardian for a book review authored by her. According to the Companies House records for Nicola Sturgeon Limited, she serves as the sole director and is identified in the documents as a ‘politician’.
After resigning as First Minister in 2023, she has accumulated over £640,000 from her salary, resettlement after vacating Bute House, book reviews, and a publishing contract.
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In November of last year, a former minister from the Nationalist party subtly criticized Ms. Sturgeon regarding her financial matters.
Fergus Ewing expressed his worries at Holyrood regarding individuals channeling book royalties and earnings from television appearances into a private company.
Mr. Ewing inquired of Finance Secretary Shona Robison: "Is she worried that the total tax revenue is declining due to individuals forming limited companies, which allows them to channel income from sources like book royalties or television appearances, thus lowering their income tax obligations and impacting funding for public services in Scotland?"
Ms. Robison stated that she would refrain from commenting on the specific situations of any individuals regarding these issues.
