Nicola Sturgeon resignation as it happened: Nicola Sturgeon resigns as first minister - RECAP
Ms Sturgeon will leave office as the longest serving and first female First Minister since the creation of the Scottish Parliament, a time which saw her lead the SNP to repeated election victories at UK, Scottish and local level.
In a shock announcement on Wednesday, the SNP leader said she believes the “time is now” to stand aside but denied reacting to “short-term pressures” after a series of political setbacks.
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Hide Ad“Since my very first moments in the job I have believed a part of serving well would be to know almost instinctively when the time is right to make way for someone else,” she said from her residence at Bute House in Edinburgh.
“In my head and in my heart I know that time is now. That it’s right for me, for my party and my country.”
The succession and timeline of the resignation as well as the successor of the first minister has not yet been made clear, however we will bring you live updates throughout the day in our live blog.
Nicola Sturgeon resigns as Scotland’s first minister - RECAP
A new SNP leader could reunite the independence movement, Nicola Sturgeon’s predecessor Alex Salmond has said.
Asked on BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme whether he sees an opportunity for his rival party Alba, Mr Salmond said: “Well, what I see as an opportunity is to reset the independence movement”.
He noted it depends “a great deal on who succeeds” Ms Sturgeon, but added: “If you get somebody who is looking to reunite the movement, perhaps through the vehicle of an independence convention, whereby you take a range of parties, and indeed cross-party movements, and bring it under the same tent, then that would be a highly significant move.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry has called for a “neutral caretaker CEO” to take over from Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell.
Ms Cherry tweeted: “The SNP leadership and party management have been deeply bound together.
“I cannot see any circumstances in which Peter Murrell can continue as chief executive under a new leader who must be free to choose a successor.
“Meantime we need a neutral caretaker CEO.”
BREAKING: The EIS teaching union has rejected the latest pay offer from the Scottish Government and council leaders.
As well as bringing you informative and the latest developments following the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon, we have also published a number of opinion pieces today. You can read them here.