NICOLA Sturgeon served as the first minister of Scotland from 2014 to 2023 and is the current MSP for Glasgow Southside.
She was first elected to Holyrood in 1999 and has held a range of positions within the Scottish Government during her time in politics.
Sturgeon was born in Irvine in 1970 joined the SNP at the age of 16 and, before becoming an MSP, she worked as a solicitor at Drumchapel Law Centre having graduated with a law degree from the University of Glasgow.
Nicola Sturgeon news and updates
How long has Nicola Sturgeon been in politics?
Sturgeon was first elected as a regional MSP for the Glasgow region at the 1999 Holyrood election.
She held this position until the 2007 election, when she was elected as the MSP for Glasgow Govan before going on to represent Glasgow Southside at the 2011 election when her Govan seat was abolished.
As well as her work as MSP and first minister, Sturgeon (below) has also held a number of senior positions within both the SNP and the Scottish Government.
She served as the Cabinet secretary for health and wellbeing from 2007 to 2012 and then held the brief for infrastructure, capital investment and cities until 2014.
She was the depute leader of the SNP from 2004 to 2014 and deputy first minister from 2007 to 2014.
When did Nicola Sturgeon become first minister?
Sturgeon’s term as first minister of Scotland began on November 20 2014, when she was officially sworn in at the Court of Session.
She stepped up to the position after her predecessor Alex Salmond stepped down following the defeat of the Yes campaign at the 2014 independence referendum.
Not only is Sturgeon Scotland’s first and so far only female first minister, but she has also held the position the longest.
Although the MSP lost her majority in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, she formed a minority government and secured a second term in office.
At the 2021 election, the SNP fell a seat short of a majority and later announced the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens which subsequently created a pro-independence majority at Holyrood.
She worked in the role of first minister for more than eight years before stepping down in 2023.
Sturgeon was first minister throughout a number of key moments in Scottish history, including the Brexit vote in 2016 and the Covid-19 pandemic.
She was also Scotland’s leader when Scotland’s gender reform legislation passed – although this was subsequently blocked by the UK Government.
When did Nicola Sturgeon resign?
Sturgeon announced she would resign as both first minister of Scotland and as SNP leader on February 15 2023.
At the time, she hinted the “brutality” of life as a modern politician was a key factor in her decision.
In her resignation speech, she said: “In my head and heart I know my time is now. Today I am announcing my intention to stand down as First Minister and leader of my party.”
She was succeeded by Humza Yousaf (above), who would go onto resign after tearing up the Bute House Agreement and was replaced by John Swinney – who had served as Sturgeon’s deputy for a number of years.
Scottish independence
Sturgeon was Alex Salmond’s (below) deputy during the 2014 referendum and campaigned throughout.
Reflecting on 10 years since then in 2024, she said she is “as confident as ever” that Scotland would become independent.
Writing in the Daily Record, she said: “In all manner of things, progress can sometimes feel glacial until suddenly it is not.
“I believe the same will be true of Scotland’s journey to independence. I am as confident as ever that we will get there, and sooner than might seem likely right now.
“And when we do, a new phase of building a better Scotland will begin in earnest.”
Sturgeon previously announced that it was her intention to hold a second referendum on October 19 2023.
However, the UK Government has to grant formal consent for this, which led to a hearing at the UK Supreme Court into whether Holyrood had the legal authority to legislate for a referendum on independence without Westminster consent.
The court eventually ruled that the Scottish Parliament could not hold a referendum without Westminster approval.
Life after stepping down
Sturgeon has remained an MSP since stepping down as First Minister although it remains to be seen whether she will stand at the 2026 Holyrood election.
Her successor Humza Yousaf has announced he will be stepping down. Sturgeon has confirmed that her papers were in but that she would “take a final decision in due course”.
The former first minister is currently in the process of writing her memoirs.
She told STV at the end of last year that she had completed the first draft after publisher Pan Macmillan announced it had snapped up the rights with the book due for publication in 2025.
She told STV that she was in the process of editing her work and still had “a few bits” to add in before it was finished.
Operation Branchform
After stepping down as first minister, Sturgeon was arrested in connection with the ongoing probe into SNP finances and released without charge.
Her husband and former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell (below) has been charged in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the party.
After her arrest, Sturgeon said she knows she is innocent “beyond doubt” and, speaking last month, said she was “just getting on with life as best I can”.
The National previously told how a top Scottish KC predicted Sturgeon was not likely to face any charges under the probe.
