Sturgeon and Gove to team up for reality TV 'wargame'

Sturgeon and Gove to team up for reality TV 'wargame' Image source, PA MediaImage caption, Gove and Sturgeon were photographed together at a meeting of the British-Irish Council summit in 2022ByAngus CochraneSenior political journalist, BBC ScotlandPublished22 June 2026Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon is to team up with ex-Conservative minister Michael Gove in a new reality television show. Sturgeon will serve as deputy prime minister, with Gove as prime minister, at the head of a fictional UK government at war with Russia.The four-part Sky TV show, The Wargame, will also feature former Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy as foreign secretary and ex-Tory MP Dame Penny Mordaunt as defence secretary.The cross-party cabinet will hold Cobra-style emergency meetings following a fictional Russian attack on UK soil. Sky's Phil Edgar-Jones said the show would "challenge some of the most experienced political and military minds in the country to imagine how they might respond under threat of war".He added: "At a time when we are facing increasing threats from all sides, this series couldn't be more timely."Image source, SkyImage caption, The Wargame will feature several prominent British political figures Sturgeon's appearance on the show has been announced following her estranged husband's admission that he embezzled more than £400,000 from the SNP - prompting criticism from political opponents. Peter Murrell, who served as SNP chief executive for more than 20 years, is due to be sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty to using the funds to buy goods including cars, a motorhome and cosmetics. Sturgeon has denied any knowledge of his crimes and said she was "deceived, betrayed and lied to" by Murrell. Tory Douglas Lumsden, the newly elected Aberdeen South MP, said: "Eyebrows will be raised at Nicola Sturgeon's decision to cash in on a lucrative TV show while her ex-husband awaits sentencing for defra...