How Nicola Sturgeon is embracing London life on a houseboat

The former First Minister of Scotland, 56, raised eyebrows when she announced her move to English. Now, it has been revealed she often basing herself on a luxury £150,000 narrowboat berthed on the historic Grand Union Canal, The Daily Mail reports.

The vessel, which features modern open-plan interiors and a double bedroom, is owned by her close friend, prominent human rights lawyer Claire Mitchell KC.

Sturgeon has been using her time in London to document her training for an upcoming half-marathon next spring. In a recent social media update to her 140,000 followers, she shared a selfie in running gear after a workout along the capital's waterways.

"Keeping myself accountable on the half marathon training!" she wrote. "Also… carrying my laptop in a backpack while running surely counts as weight training?! Now for a day at my laptop."

Nicola Sturgeon has posted several selfies on the canal boat

Nicola Sturgeon / Instagram

The former SNP leader's new London life shows a marked shift in her lifestyle as she has been spotted dining alfresco in Notting Hill and attending local concerts alongside Mitchell.

She first posted pictures from the boat on social media on May 26, as the vessel wound its way along the Grand Union Canal.

Among several images, she posted a selfie on deck with a life preserver round her neck, alongside the caption: “Some time spent on the water today, in glorious sunshine with good friends, was great fun and good for the soul.”

The post appeared within hours of the conviction of her estranged husband Murrell over the embezzlement of over £400,000 from the SNP while serving as its chief executive.

In July, Murrell was sentenced to more than five years in prison for the offences. The ongoing fallout from the financial scandal continues to cast a long shadow over the SNP, the party Sturgeon led for nearly a decade before her sudden resignation in 2023.

Despite the controversy from her personal life, Sturgeon has been expanding her professional footprint in London.

She has travelled throughout the UK and Ireland over the past 12 months, giving talks to promote her newly released memoir, Frankly.

Signalling a permanent shift towards a commercial career, the former politician has signed with the prestigious London-based talent agency United Agents, which represents the likes of Olivia Colman, Eddie Redmayne, and James Corden.