Nicola Sturgeon visits after-school club

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon showed her skill at Minecraft. Picture: Andrew O'Brien

The First Minister took her general election campaign to Loanhead, where she helped paint ceramic tiles and made Easter bunnies.

The SNP leader was also challenged to a game of pool and played popular video game Minecraft.

Scores of parents accompanied their children in a bid to meet Ms Sturgeon, who also helped pack up a bus ahead of a club outing to Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling.

Yvonne Todman, who works at Loanhead After-School Club, said: “It was exciting. The kids were excited and the parents were delighted.”

During the visit yesterday, Ms Sturgeon said the SNP would “absolutely not vote” for the renewal of Trident, or anything that facilitates its renewal.

But she stopped short of confirming that the party’s MPs would vote against a Queen’s Speech at Westminster which contained proposals on the nuclear deterrent.

The First Minister was quizzed on her stance on Trident following this week’s television debate.

She said: “The SNP has made very clear that Trident is a fundamental issue, so we would never be in any deal with a Labour government who is going to renew Trident and we would never vote for the renewal of Trident or for anything that facilitated that renewal. It is one example of where we want to build progressive alliances in the House of Commons.”

Asked about whether Trident was still a red-line issue in any post-election deal with Labour, she said: “If we are in a vote-by-vote basis, then we will vote for things we agree with, but we will absolutely not vote for the renewal of Trident.

“If you had a confidence and supply arrangement and if we are in a situation where there is no formal arrangement, then . . . we will absolutely not vote for Trident.”

Asked if the SNP would vote against a Queen’s Speech by a UK government containing proposals for Trident, Ms Sturgeon dismissed attempts to “get ahead of the election process”, adding: “I am making it very clear that the SNP will not vote for the renewal of Trident.”

She also said that a large group of SNP MPs at Westminster would exert their influence at a UK level by demanding public bodies ensure half their board members are women.

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