Nicola Sturgeon resigns as Scotland's First Minister, saying it is 'not reaction to short-term pressures'
Nicola Sturgeon has said her decision to resign Scotland's First Minister “is not a reaction to short-term pressures”.
The Scottish National Party leader announced she would be standing down from the post at a hastily-arranged news conference at Bute House in Edinburgh.
Setting out “as best as I can my reasons”, Ms Sturgeon said: “First, though I know it will be tempting to see it as such, this decision is not a reaction to short-term pressures. Of course there are difficult issues confronting the government just now, but when is that ever not the case?
“I have spent almost three decades in frontline politics, a decade-and-a-half on the top or second-top rung of government.
“When it comes to navigating choppy waters, resolving seemingly intractable issues, or soldiering on when walking away would be the simpler option, I have plenty of experience to draw on.
“So if this was just a question of my ability or my resilience to get through the latest period of pressure I wouldn’t be standing here today, but it’s not.
“This decision comes from a deeper and longer-term assessment. I know it may seem sudden, but I have been wrestling with it, albeit with oscillating levels of intensity for some weeks."
Ms Sturgeon said serving as First Minister of Scotland had been a “privilege beyond measure” as she announced her resignation.
She said: “I am proud to stand here as the first female and longest serving incumbent of this office and I am very proud of what has been achieved in the years I’ve been blessed to do this.
“However, since the very first moment in the job, I have believed that part of serving well would be to know, almost instinctively, when the time is right, to make way for someone else.
“And when that time came, to have the courage to do so, even if to many across the country and in my party, might feel it too soon.
“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. And so today I am announcing my intention to step down as First Minister and leader of my party.”
Ms Sturgeon has been First Minister since November 2014, when she took over from Alex Salmond following the independence referendum.
It is not yet clear if she will stand down immediately, or continue in the role until a new SNP leader is elected.
Ms Sturgeon will leave office as the longest serving and first female first minister since the creation of the Scottish Parliament, a time which saw her lead the SNP to repeated election victories at UK, Scottish and local level.
The First Minister, however, has been mired in controversy in recent months as her Government sought to push through gender reforms, only for them to be blocked by the UK Government.
But Ms Sturgeon stands down without realising her key political mission – independence for Scotland.
