Nicola Sturgeon has launched a publicity round for “Frankly”, the memoir that charts her eight years as Scotland’s first minister and the controversies that led to her 2023 resignation. In interviews with BBC Breakfast and ITV News aired on 12 August, the former Scottish National Party leader said she should have paused her gender-recognition reforms to build broader support and conceded that she “lost the dressing room” over the policy. Addressing the 2023 case of double rapist Adam Graham, who self-identified as a woman named Isla Bryson and was initially remanded to a female prison, Sturgeon said she now believes a convicted rapist “probably forfeits the right” to claim female status. She acknowledged that her struggle to answer whether Bryson was male or female damaged public confidence in the legislation. Sturgeon also spoke about more personal material covered in the book, including a miscarriage in 2010 that she said still leaves her with “a sense of guilt”, and reflected on the future of the monarchy, suggesting public attitudes may harden as memories of Queen Elizabeth II fade. The memoir revisits other fraught episodes such as the police investigation into Scottish National Party finances and her long-running feud with predecessor Alex Salmond. Sturgeon said she is “excited” about life outside politics but remains convinced Scotland will become independent within two decades.