Nicola Sturgeon has been pictured in London during a relaxed outdoor lunch with human rights lawyer Claire Mitchell KC.
The former Scottish First Minister, 55, was seen at Golborne Bistro in Notting Hill, where she appeared in good spirits while chatting with her friend. According to the original report, the pair spent several hours together, enjoying the warm weather and a meal outside the restaurant.
The sighting comes shortly after a difficult period for Sturgeon, following the jailing of her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive. The report states that Murrell admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from party funds over a 12-year period and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Sturgeon, who is filing for divorce, has faced public scrutiny because of the wider investigation into SNP finances. She was previously arrested as part of Operation Branchform after stepping down as First Minister in 2023, but she has not been charged.
Her lawyer, Aamer Anwar, has strongly pushed back against suggestions of wrongdoing, saying Sturgeon is innocent of any crime and noting that Murrell was the person charged, convicted and imprisoned.
The matter has continued to prompt political debate in Scotland, with some figures calling for further transparency and a parliamentary inquiry. Others, including current SNP leader John Swinney, have pointed to the criminal justice outcome already reached in the case.
Away from the political arguments, the London lunch showed Sturgeon in a quieter personal moment, smiling and talking with a friend after months of intense public attention.
