The Edinburgh restaurant where Nicola Sturgeon was pictured breaking her own mask rule has insisted the photo was taken by a "random customer".
The Stable Bar and Restaurant, at Mortonhall, said that after the picture was published in the Scottish Sun they had faced a backlash, and the owners have now insisted they are actually pro-independence supporters.
Speaking to the National newspaper, owner Iain Dempster said: “A random customer took and presumably sold the photo with no care for the consequences and backlash for a family-run business or its hard-working staff during this horrendous time for hospitality.
“Nicola was a gem as always and spoke to our staff and lots of customers, which must have been hard for her having just come from a funeral, but that’s what we have come to expect of her.
“Yes, she broke the rule but it was only for a few seconds as she was going out of the door, and she just turned back to say hello to the three ladies. Nobody else was near her and she kept her social distancing.”
A staff member told the pro-independence newspaper that the First Minister had worn her mask throughout her times in the restaurant, other than when she was drinking her cup of tea.
They explained she only removed the mask after a group called her over just as she was leaving.
"She was just about out the door when three lady customers waved and called to her.
“There was nobody near her and nobody on the table next to the ladies and we think what happened is that one or more of the ladies couldn’t hear her properly and for a few seconds she took off her mask to say hello.
“If anybody on the staff had seen her they would have asked her to put the mask back on. We were all upset when the picture appeared, and even more so when people went on Twitter calling for the place to be closed," a staff member said.
The First Minister apologised for the mistake, saying after the image was published that she was "kicking herself".
She told the Scottish Parliament that she had "no excuses" for the breach, which can be punished by a fine.
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"I want to be clear today that, regardless of the circumstances, I was in the wrong. There are no excuses. These rules do apply to me just as they do to everyone else, and the rules really matter.
"I am kicking myself very hard, possibly harder than my worst critic ever could. But more importantly, I will be making sure that I do not drop my guard again," she said.
