NICOLA Sturgeon didn't breach the ministerial code, but the same can't be said of everyone accused.

There have been several instances of rule-breaking scandals by members of the UK Government in recent years – and some have ridden out the criticism with the backing of Number 10.

Current Home Secretary Priti Patel has twice been in the midst of a conduct scandal. She was forced to resign as International Development Secretary in 2017 over meetings with senior Israeli figures that she'd kept from her boss Theresa May.

Then in November last year a fresh inquiry found she had bullied Whitehall staff and an independent investigator said she'd failed to meet required standards – but Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided to take no further action.

Earlier this year it emerged that former transport minister George Freeman broke the ministerial code by failing to consult the official watchdog before becoming a paid consultant for a firm producing PPE for the NHS.

The most recent UK minister to resign over a code breach is Damian Green, who twice broke honesty rules over pornography found on his computer. A Cabinet Office report found public statements he'd made relating to what he knew about the claims were “inaccurate and misleading”.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon did not breach ministerial code, James Hamilton finds

That was in December 2017, not long after Michael Fallon was also forced to quit when two journalists said he'd behaved inappropriately towards them. Fallon had been accused of touching women and making lewd comments towards his colleague Andrea Leadsom MP.

After this, Theresa May updated the rules to allow ministers to be sacked for harassment, bullying and other “inappropriate or discriminating behaviour”.

Going back a little further, Liam Fox stood down as Defence Secretary amidst a ministerial code breach investigation in 2011 over the working relationship he had with friend Adam Werritty.

The pair had been together on 18 foreign trips even though Werritty, the best man at Fox's wedding, had no official government role. Writing to then-PM David Cameron, Fox said he'd “mistakenly allowed” personal and professional responsibilities to be “blurred”.

The first major scandal since the reconvening of the Scottish Parliament came in 2001 when Labour First Minister Henry McLeish stood down.

That was after it emerged he'd sub-let part of his taxpayer-subsidised Westminster constituency office without including this in his register of interests.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon facing no confidence vote tomorrow in Holyrood

In 2005 then-Tory leader David McLetchie quit as head of his party amidst a hail of criticism about his taxi expenses. He'd claimed journeys costing more than £11,000, more than £5000 of which were not specified in detail.

Wendy Alexander stepped down from the leadership of Scottish Labour in 2008 after Holyrood's standards committee found she should undergo a one-day suspension. This was for failing to declare donations to her leadership campaign on the register of interest.

Last February, then-finance secretary Derek Mackay had to quit on the eve of the Scottish Budget after The Sun exposed how he'd sent hundreds of private messages to a 16-year-old boy.

And childcare and early years minister Mark McDonald resigned over previous actions which he said were considered "inappropriate" in a misconduct row.