Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s former first minister, has announced she will step down as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) and will not seek re-election at the Holyrood election in May next year.
In a statement shared on social media, the ex-SNP leader acknowledged that making the decision had been “far from easy.” However, she stated, “I have known in my heart for a while that the time is right for me to embrace different opportunities in a new chapter of my life, and to allow you to select a new standard bearer.”
Sturgeon, who resigned as first minister in March 2023 after eight years in the role, is Scotland’s longest-serving first minister and the first woman to hold the position. Her departure as party leader marked the start of a challenging period for the SNP.
In June 2023, she was arrested and later released without charge as part of a police investigation into SNP finances.
She has consistently maintained that she has done nothing wrong. Her husband, Peter Murrell, who served as the SNP’s chief executive for many years, has since been charged with embezzling party funds. In January, Sturgeon announced that they had decided to end their marriage.
Having been an MSP since the first Scottish Parliament election in 1999, Sturgeon reflected on her time in office, highlighting policies such as the Scottish Child Payment and expanded early years education.
She stated, “I joined the SNP in 1986 because I wanted to play my part in building a fair and prosperous Scotland and I have dedicated my life to that task ever since. I believed then that winning our country’s independence was essential to Scotland reaching her full potential, and I still do. Even though I am preparing to leave elected politics, I hope to contribute in different ways to making that ambition a reality.”
During her tenure, Sturgeon led the SNP to multiple election victories at UK, Scottish, and local levels. However, her push for Scottish independence faced a setback in 2022 when the UK Supreme Court ruled that Holyrood did not have the authority to hold another independence referendum without Westminster’s approval.
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Her successor, Humza Yousaf, stepped down as first minister in April after ending a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens, which left him facing a vote of no confidence. He later announced that he would stand down as an MSP at the 2026 Holyrood election. Reacting to Sturgeon’s decision, Yousaf posted on X, “I am excited to see what Nicola goes on to do next. She is one of the most talented politicians of our generation. I am personally grateful for her advice, trust, and friendship over the years. With every good wish NicolaSturgeon.”
Following Yousaf’s departure, Sturgeon’s former deputy, John Swinney, took over as first minister. Although the SNP suffered a poor showing in July’s general election, recent polls indicate that support for the party has stabilized under his leadership.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton also commented on Sturgeon’s record, stating, “We wish any departing MSP well, but we cannot forget the deep divisions in our country that Nicola Sturgeon created, fostered and encouraged.” She went on to say, “By any objective analysis, her record as first minister is one of failure.
Scottish education standards collapsed on her watch and the poverty-related attainment gap, which she promised to eradicate, widened.
She presided over a drugs-death emergency, a ferries scandal, a crisis in our NHS, crumbling roads – and all while raising taxes on hard-working Scots, which stifled economic growth. Her reckless gender self-ID policy betrayed women, her soft-touch approach to justice betrayed victims and her shameful deletion of Covid WhatsApp messages denied bereaved families answers and highlighted the secrecy and cynicism that characterised her government.”
(BBC)
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