SNP: Nicola Sturgeon announces resignation
15 February 2023
Nicola Sturgeon has resigned as Scotland’s first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP).
Sturgeon has announced in a press conference today that she will step down following the appointment of a new SNP leader. She has led the SNP for more than eight years, since 2014 and was the first woman to hold the position. Sturgeon said she was ‘not leaving politics’ and would continue to fight for Scottish independence. She will remain in the office until a successor is appointed.
Nicola Sturgeon also said:
‘‘In my head and in my heart I know that time is now. That it is right for me, for my party and for the country’’.
‘‘The blocking of a referendum as the accepted, constitutional route to independence is a democratic outrage. But it puts the onus on us to decide how Scottish democracy will be protected and to ensure that the will of the Scottish people prevails. To achieve that we need to reach across the divide in Scottish politics, and my judgement now is that this needs a new leader’’.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also thanked her for her ‘‘long-standing service’’.
The SNP is due to have a conference on independence next month. Will there be a lack of certainty and will this shocking revelation create divisions? The SNP will announce the process for electing a new leader over the coming days.
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