Scotland's Sturgeon to Resign

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Facts

• Nicola Sturgeon has announced that she is stepping down as Scotland's First Minister and the Scottish National Party's (SNP) leader after more than eight years, with plans to remain in office until her successor is elected.¹
• Sturgeon made her announcement at a press conference in her official residence of Bute House, Edinburgh. She called the role of the first minister the 'very best job in the world' yet acknowledged that in her 'head' and her 'heart,' now was the right time to resign for 'me and my party and for the country.'²
• Sturgeon will leave office as the longest-serving and first female first minister since the creation of the Scottish parliament and having seen repeated SNP victories at Scottish, UK, and local levels. The SNP is scheduled to meet next month to discuss treating the next election as a de-facto independence referendum.³
• The SNP leader claimed that she no longer felt she could give the role what it deserved and had a duty to step back. Sturgeon claimed she would 'certainly' continue as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) until the next Holyrood election due in 2026.⁴
• Sturgeon had recently experienced a series of political setbacks, including controversies over her strategy on independence and trans prisoners. Despite this, Sturgeon stated that her decision was not in response to the latest pressures.⁵
• Possible candidates to become the new SNP leader and first minister include Sturgeon's deputy, John Swinney, the current Health and Social Care Secretary, Humza Yousaf, as well as the former Secretary for Finance and Economy, Kate Forbes.⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²Sky news, ³Inews.co.uk, ⁴Itv news, ⁵Guardian and ⁶Independent.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Spectator (UK). With a never-ending list of failures, it's no wonder Sturgeon has resigned. Not only did the SNP leader make numerous mistakes concerning gender reforms, independence referendums, and relationships with local councils, but she also left Scotland with a broken healthcare system and economic pain that can no longer be solely blamed on Westminster. To top it off, Scottish police are probing a potential misuse of SNP funding by her husband. New leadership is long overdue.
• Narrative B, as provided by New statesman. Sturgeon certainly wasn't without faults, however, she had natural strengths as a leader and was an incredibly human and straightforward social democrat that sought to improve the disadvantaged while standing up against Westminster — qualities she continued to embody through her decision to resign once it became increasingly clear that independence wouldn't happen under her leadership.

Predictions