NICOLA Sturgeon has told Holyrood she has heard of "divisions" among the Tories over its political strategy in recent days.

She made the comment at the final session of First Minister's Question in the chamber this afternoon before parliament goes into recess ahead of polling day on May 6.

They came in response to a question from Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory group leader, who decided to press the First Minister on the Scottish Government's record on education in the current parliament.

Davidson's question marked a change of approach to criticisms of the Scottish Government which had focused intensely in the last few weeks on its mishandling of complaints against Alex Salmond.

It came after the Tories failed to oust the First Minister in a vote of no confidence on Tuesday.

Sturgeon won the vote significantly with the backing of the SNP and the Greens. Labour and the Lib Dems refused to support the Tory motion.

The First Minister seized on the change of direction from the Tories.

"Ruth Davidson has spent weeks misrepresenting me," she said.

"I have shown plenty of contrition where that contrition is merited. But...I know there is division, I hear on the grapevine there is lots of division within the Conservative party about their tactics over the last few days."

The fiery exchanges took place during a dramatic week in Scottish politics, which has seen Sturgeon cleared of any breach by James Hamilton, the independent adviser on the ministerial code, the publication of a report in the government's unlawful handling of complaints made against Alex Salmond when he was first minister, and a vote of no confidence in the First Minister, which she survived by a significant majority.

Hamilton, a former director of public prosecutions in the Republic of Ireland, cleared the First Minister on Monday of a breach of the code, but a cross-party committee set up to look into the mishandling of harassment complaints against Salmond voted by majority to conclude she misled parliament.

The four SNP MSPs on the committee disagreed with that finding.
The First Minister yesterday told Holyrood that had the Hamilton inquiry found she did break the code, she would have resigned.

"Had Mr Hamilton's report gone the other way, I would have accepted it, had he found that I had breached the code in anything other than the most technical and immaterial of ways, I would have been standing here right now tendering my resignation," she said.

"The integrity of the office I am so privileged to hold really does matter to me.
"The office of First Minister is more important than any temporary incumbent of it."

The First Minister also told the Tories: "If you think you can bully me out of office, you are mistaken and you misjudge me. If you want to remove me as First Minister do it in an election."

Some findings of the committee report were leaked last Thursday and over the weekend - including testimony from the two complainers given privately to the inquiry last week.

During the no debate on the no confidence motion, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said any MSP who had leaked the findings of the committee's report and the testimony of complainers from a private session should not be allowed to stand in the May elections.

He added: "They have shown contempt for the serious issue of sexual harassment. They have shown contempt for their witnesses. They have shown contempt for the rules of this Parliament.

"And, having failed in their attempt to drag Scottish politics down to their level, they should just go."