Worlds collided on Twitter on Wednesday night when Nicola Sturgeon (jokingly – we think?) endorsed Andy Murray as her successor.
Sturgeon suddenly resigned as Scotland’s first minister this week, telling a press conference in Edinburgh: “I believe that part of serving well would be to know, almost instinctively, when the time is right to go.
“In my head and in my heart I know that time is now.”
She has been first minister since November 2014, having taken over from Alex Salmond in the aftermath of the independence referendum when their party, the SNP, lost.
Sturgeon has been Scotland’s longest-serving first minister, and claimed just three weeks ago that she was “nowhere near” ready to quit.
While there’s a long list of SNP members hoping to step up to the plate – as the party leader will automatically become the next first minister – Sturgeon hinted that she had someone else, someone less conventional, on her mind...
Andy Murray, the famous Scottish tennis player who was the No.1 playing in the world at back in 2016, joked about pursuing a new career.
In response to a BBC News article about Sturgeon’s resignation, he tweeted: “Interesting vacancy. Was looking to get into politics when I finish playing 🎾 😉”
Yes, Murray really did tweet a wink emoji – and then, to the internet’s delight, Sturgeon replied with a similar playfulness.
“I know I said I wouldn’t endorse anyone as my successor but ... 😉 🤣”
And clearly, people loved the exchange. In just 14 hours, the outgoing first minister’s tweet had accumulated more than 38,000 likes and 2.7 million views.
The editor of the Yorkshire Post James Mitchinson joined in with the fun too, replying: ”#Andypendence”
Murray has got a reputation for his witty replies, both to journalists asking him about his tennis and to just about anyone on Twitter – including Nigel Farage.
When Farage, a keen Brexiteer, tweeted about meeting tennis ace Novak Djokovic’s family, Murray replied: “Please record the awkward moment when you tell them you’ve spent most of your career campaigning to have people from Eastern Europe deported 😉”
Sturgeon, too, is known for her ability to rinse people. That includes another Brexit campaigner Richard Tice, far-right protests and Liz Truss.
Sturgeon was quick to hit back at the then Tory leadership candidate last summer, when Truss advised people to “ignore” the Scottish first minister, as she is an “attention-seeker”.
Sturgeon then trolled Truss by tweeting this picture of a seal...