NICOLA Sturgeon’s reputation has been dented by a series of bad judgements culminating in the recent ditching of her new universities minister, a former SNP deputy leader has said.

Jim Sillars insisted the First Minister had “final responsibility” for vetting candidates and warned: “Once lost, a reputation for competence and judgement is hard to recover.”

Gillian Martin was dropped as minister for colleges, universities and science after just 24 hours last week when offensive comments she made in blog posts before she entered politics were highlighted.

In one, she mocked efforts to promote transgender rights, and made reference to “hairy knuckled lipstick-wearing transitional transgender Laydees”.

Writing in The Times, Mr Sillars said the first warnings over Ms Martin’s credentials were sounded on her election to Holyrood in 2016, when some of her past blog posts came to light.

Arguing a “prudent” First Minister would have insisted on checking whether further comments had been made, he added: “Two things are fatal to a senior politician: becoming a figure of mockery or when there is a general belief in a lack of judgment built up when that deficiency is apparent on important issues.

“Nicola Sturgeon is not subject to the first but open to an accusation of the latter.”

Mr Sillars, who was Alex Salmond’s deputy in the early 1990s, said Ms Sturgeon is fortunate she faces no serious rival for the top role, and insisted he was voicing in public what many were saying in private.

He argued the First Minister’s “walk on water” reputation started to disappear when she pushed for a second independence referendum in the aftermath of 2016’s Brexit vote.

He accused her of a “monumental misjudgement of what the result meant”, followed by a series of further bad decisions.

These included a “deliberate obstructive posture” in negotiations with Theresa May and allowing SNP members to believe the UK Government is attempting a “power grab” on Holyrood.