Nicola Sturgeon is standing down as First Minister and SNP leader after joining the Scottish National Party at the age of 16.
In a shock announcement on Wednesday, the 52-year-old said she believes the “time is now” to stand aside.
The longest serving – and first female – first minister rose to power unopposed after the ill-fated independence referendum in 2014, taking over from Alex Salmond, the mentor with whom she would come into conflict in the years to come over the handling of sexual harassment allegations made against him.
Last year the UK’s Supreme Court ruled that the Scottish Government does not have the power to hold another independence referendum, as Westminster blocks the move.
Ms Sturgeon’s stint as First Minister spanned the entire period of the UK’s exit from the European Union, including the 2016 referendum, the negotiations in 2017-19, the departure on January 31 2020 and the transition period until the end of 2020.
Throughout her stint as party leader, Ms Sturgeon clashed with Westminster on both independence but also other devolved powers issue.
During her time in office, the UK has seen five different prime ministers, all of them Conservative: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
The First Minister was also a key figure following the death of the Queen in Scotland in 2022, with many of the initial ceremonies held in Edinburgh.
The coronavirus pandemic saw Ms Sturgeon lead daily briefings to update the Scottish population on restrictions and death figures.
