The long shadows of Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon | podcast

The former PM and ex-Scottish first minister were controversial leaders. Now they are both facing disgrace – adding to the turmoil in British politics

They are two of the biggest characters in modern British politics but could not be more different. The showman-like Boris Johnson and the down-to-earth Nicole Sturgeon were tasked with the enormous responsibility of steering the nation through the Covid-19 pandemic, and often clashed. Yet both former leaders are not just out of power but facing disgrace.

On Friday, Boris Johnson suddenly quit as an MP – before the publication of a report into whether he misled parliament over the Partygate scandal, which would have led to a suspension that would have prompted a byelection. The Guardian’s political editor, Pippa Crerar, explains how in his furious resignation letter Johnson criticised the inquiry by the privileges committee, calling it a “kangaroo court” but also hit out at Rishi Sunak’s government. On Sunday came the news that Nicola Sturgeon had been arrested as part of a police investigation into allegations of financial misconduct by the Scottish National party. The former first minister of Scotland has proclaimed her innocence and said the experience was “deeply distressing”.