Sturgeon’s arrest draws focus away from SNP policy and back to police inquiry

Humza Yousaf is trying to seize back the media narrative but the party remains tethered to unanswered questions about its past

Supporters and critics of Nicola Sturgeon were in sombre mood as they digested news of the former first minister’s arrest on Sunday afternoon.

To see Sturgeon – just earlier in the day described by her successor, Humza Yousaf, as “one of the most impressive politicians Europe has seen over the last couple of decades” – and “arrested” in the same headline as the news alert flashed up on phones was a shock, despite speculation it was inevitable given the continuing police investigation into the finances of the Scottish National party, which she led until recently.