The National:

How on Earth did we get here?

Once upon a time Piers Morgan did anything but praise Nicola Sturgeon. At the start of the pandemic he was furious that she dared inform Scotland of the latest Covid-19 guidelines before Boris Johnson could get in front of a camera.

Now, Morgan thinks Scotland’s First Minister has been one of the top three leaders in the world during the coronavirus crisis.

This morning Sturgeon appeared on Good Morning Britain urging Scots to follow coronavirus guidance as cases continue to rise. More than 3000 cases of the virus were recorded across the UK as a whole yesterday.

READ MORE: Lockdown restrictions extended to Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire

More than 1.1 million people are now affected by tougher coronavirus rules as measures in Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire were extended to East Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire.

People living in these areas should not host people from other households inside their own home or visit another person’s home.

The First Minister said it was “regrettable we are in this position” but that the measures were “considered proportionate but also the most effective”.

As the UK Government continued their months-long refusal to speak to Good Morning Britain about the coronavirus crisis, Sturgeon appeared on the programme.

Following her interview, the hosts introduced Lorraine Kelly.

Kelly said: “You were right Piers, isn’t it good, every single day I see that every single day she comes on and addresses the nation, she comes on and talks to us.”

Morgan replied: “I think she’s really impressive. I think that in a crisis, a real one, you find out what leadership is about.

“And it’s very interesting to me that the most impressive leaders in this crisis have not been the blustering populists – Boris Johnson, Trump, the guy in Brazil and others. It’s actually people like Nicola Sturgeon, Angela Merkel, Jacinda Ardern …”

Sturgeon had discussed accountability with the hosts prior to his comments.

She told viewers: “Every leader has to make his or her own decisions about how they conduct themselves and how they decide to approach this and I can only speak for myself. I think in a situation as serious as the one we’ve been living through, as uncertain and unpredictable, it’s really important to be out there front and centre trying to explain to people the decisions that we’re making – decisions that have a big impact on people’s lives.

“We don’t have all of the answers, that’s been true all of the way through, this is a virus we have had to learn about, we’re still learning about, we’ve had to change approach in some circumstances and that’s really difficult. 

“I don’t think there is a substitute to getting up there before people, trying to explain that as best we can and being accountable and under scrutiny for that. And that includes coming onto programmes like this which I’m sure some of us sometimes would prefer not to have to do, but it’s part of the responsibilities we have.”

Sturgeon urged people to follow FACTS guidance amid fears of increasing cases – that’s face coverings in indoor spaces, avoid crowded places, clean your hands and surfaces regularly, two-metre social distancing and self-isolate and book a test if you develop coronavirus symptoms.