Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she will resign, after more than eight years leading the Scottish government.
In a press conference in Edinburgh, she said there was much more “intensity” and “brutality” to the life of a politician than there was in previous years.
She recently clashed with the Westminster government over gender reform laws, and has faced pressure within the SNP over her tactics to deliver Scottish independence.
But Sturgeon insisted her decision was not a reaction to recent issues, adding that she’d been “wrestling” with the question of her future for weeks.
Sturgeon will remain FM until her successor is elected by the SNP and she will stay as an MSP until at least the next Holyrood election in May 2026.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has thanked Sturgeon for her “long-standing service”, while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saluted the FM’s “dedication and passion”.
One of the reasons that Nicola Sturgeon has announced her intention to resign, rather than quit straight away, is that her formal resignation starts an official timetable at Holyrood.
As soon as her resignation letter is sent to the King, the Scottish Parliament has 28 days to elect a replacement first minister, or face another election.
So Sturgeon will remain in post until her party chooses her successor as SNP Leader.
The SNP’s rule book states that candidates must have at least 100 nominations from party members from at least 20 local branches. The vote is run by postal ballot, on a one-person-one-vote basis.
The timetable for that process is still to be agreed. But with a special conference to decide on whether to use an election as a de facto independence referendum due next month, time is tight.
Some in the party have suggested the conference should be delayed until a new leader is in place.