Nicola Sturgeon ‘not convinced’ equal marriage would pass in Scotland today

The former first minister said politics is now more toxic and polarised

Nicola Sturgeon has said she is not convinced same-sex marriage would be legalised in Scotland today.

The former first minister said politics is now more toxic and polarised than in the past.

She said: "The culture, at times, in politics is downright unpleasant. It's downright toxic."

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon during a devolution event in Edinburgh, to mark 25 years of Scottish Parliament, Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Ms Sturgeon made the comments as she appeared alongside Lord Wallace, the former deputy first minister, at an event at Edinburgh University to mark 25 years of devolution.

She said: "I was the minister that took through minimum unit pricing [of alcohol]. I don't think that would get through and onto the statute book today. I'm not even convinced equal marriage would – certainly not without a much more toxic debate – get there today.

"So lot of it comes back to, how do we fix that underlying problem of we've just lost our way in how to debate things rationally and properly."

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon and former deputy first minister Lord Wallace of Tankerness, during a devolution event in Edinburgh, to mark 25 years of Scottish Parliament, Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Same-sex marriage was legalised in Scotland in 2014.

Lord Wallace, who was deputy first minister from 1999 to 2005 and twice served as acting first minister, told the event it would be “really regrettable if there was any sort of backtracking on that”.

Ms Sturgeon said politics is now a more "toxic, hostile environment", particularly for women and minorities, and this can put people off. She said the shift had accelerated with social media.

She said: “There’s no doubt – and we all, certainly I bear a significant share of responsibility for this – but there is much greater tribalism, polarisation, toxicity.”

Elsewhere, she said the committee system in the Scottish Parliament needed "beefing up considerably". Ms Sturgeon said appearing before committees was not "as terrifying as it should have been" when she was a minister.

She suggested Holyrood should introduce elected committee chairs in a similar manner to Westminster.

Ms Sturgeon also told the event there had been “too much of centralisation and maybe not enough devolution of power downwards to local authorities”.

She said: “I wouldn’t stop at local authorities. If I look at my own consistency, some of the best and most transformational decisions are taken at community level through community councils and participatory budgeting.

“I can look at examples in the Gorbals in my own constituency. So I would say that if we're going to have serious reforms there, extend it beyond local authorities.

“My caveat would be…there has to be quid pro quo, two sides to the issue about devolving more power down to local authorities, which is that the accountability and responsibility has to go as well.

“I wouldn't even be able to hazard a guess at the number of times that as first minister or as a minister before that, I've been hauled over the coals in the Scottish Parliament for decisions taken by local authorities.

"So there has to be a maturity there if we’re having that debate. If we want local authorities to be responsible for more then I would say opposition parties, whoever they may be, at that time, have to then accept that it cannot be the national government that is held to account and blamed for the decisions that local authorities take.”