Nicola Sturgeon shocked British politics by announcing her resignation as SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister, but denied she was quitting over her controversial gender reforms.
Ms Sturgeon told a press conference on Wednesday that while her resignation “might feel too soon” to many of her supporters, “in my head and in my heart I know that time is now”.
Triggering a party leadership contest, she said her decision “frees the SNP” on the issue of Scottish independence “to choose the path it believes to be the right one without worrying about the perceived implications for my leadership”.
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The SNP leader has endured a tricky few months, losing a court bid to hold a second independence referendum after the Supreme Court ruled in November that the Scottish parliament could not lawfully legislate on the issue.
She also endured a major trans rights row which saw her planned reforms to the gender recognition process in Scotland blocked by the UK government, which overruled Holyrood with a so-called “section 35” order.
Ms Sturgeon however said that her resignation “is not a reaction to short-term pressures”, and was instead based on a “deeper, long-term assessment” after eight years in charge of her party and the Scottish government.
Asked whether the gender identification row was the “straw that broke the camel’s back’’, she said: “No, that issue wasn’t the final straw. Of course, there are difficult issues confronting the government just now, but when is that ever not the case?”
The SNP chief said that she had been “wrestling” with the decision as to whether to carry on for several weeks, saying she had to consider the “physical and mental impact” of leading the country since 2014.
Her successor as SNP leader will be chosen by members of her party and will become Scotland’s new first minister. The next elections for the Scottish parliament are due in 2026.
Ms Sturgeon said she would not give an opinion on who should succeed her as leader, with senior MSPs Angus Robertson, Kate Forbes and Humza Yousaf among the early favourites to take over.
“This is a question that no matter how many times you ask it of me over the next few weeks ... I’m not going to say who my preference will be to succeed me,” she said, adding that the SNP was “awash” with talented individuals.
Ms Sturgeon was reluctant to be drawn on particular events behind her decision to quit – but November’s Supreme Court ruling which dashed hopes of a second independence referendum without Westminster approval came as a major blow.
She was heavily criticised for initially vowing to turn the next general election into a de facto referendum on Scottish independence – with unionist parties accusing her of being completely “out of touch” with public opinion.
The SNP boss then disappointed many nationalists by dropping the firm pledge, instead putting various options to the party membership at a special conference this March.
Earlier this week, a poll found that two-thirds of Scottish voters are opposed to the idea of a general election being used as a de facto vote on independence.
Ms Sturgeon said on Wednesday: “I believe I have led this country closer to independence, I believe we are in the final phase of that journey. I believe that my successor – whoever he or she may be – will lead Scotland to independence, and I’ll be there cheering him or her on every step of the way.”
Scotland’s first minister has also been under huge pressure over the trans self-identification issue ever since Isla Bryson – convicted of raping two women while she was a man called Adam Graham – was initially sent to a women’s prison.
Ms Sturgeon was forced in a U-turn as she confirmed that the rapist would be moved to a male prison. But she stuck by her stance on self-ID and threatened legal action over the decision by the Rishi Sunak government to block the legislation passed at Holyrood.
Support for independence, the SNP and Ms Sturgeon all dropped sharply amid criticism over the “fiasco”. Former deputy leader of the party Jim Sillars said would be Ms Sturgeon’s equivalent of Margaret Thatcher’s disastrous “poll tax”.
Ms Sturgeon said on Wednesday she was looking forward to spending more time with her family, and indicated she will continue on the backbenches as an MSP “until, certainly, the next election” for Holyrood, which is due in 2026.
Rishi Sunak paid tribute to Ms Sturgeon, wishing her “all the best for her next steps”. But Scottish secretary Alister Jack said her exit “presents a welcome opportunity for the Scottish government to change course and to drop its divisive obsession with independence”.
And Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross MSP said he was “glad” Ms Sturgeon was going, saying she had “refused to accept the result” of the 2014 independence referendum and had spent the years since on “relentless agitating” for another vote.
Her predecessor Alex Salmond, who became a bitter enemy over the fall-out from sexual harassment claims against him, described her as “a first-rate political communicator”. But he warned that the SNP had been “left with no clear strategy for independence” and “no obvious successor”.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said she was “the outstanding political leader” in the UK for a generation, while Ian Blackford, the ex-leader at Westminster, said she had been the “finest first minster Scotland has ever had”.
Ms Sturgeon has been a powerful force in Scottish politics, winning two resounding victories at Scottish parliament elections in 2016 and 2021. Following the Supreme Court ruling support for independence rose above 50 per cent, but has since slipped back.
