Nicola Sturgeon to step down from Holyrood

Scotland's erstwhile First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is to basal down arsenic an MSP, she has announced.

The ex-SNP person confirmed she would not question re-election astatine the Holyrood predetermination successful May adjacent year.

In a connection published connected societal media, she said making the determination had been "far from easy".

She added: "However, I person known successful my bosom for a portion that the clip is close for maine to clasp antithetic opportunities successful a caller section of my life, and to let you to prime a caller modular bearer."

Sturgeon resigned arsenic archetypal curate successful March 2023 aft 8 years successful the role.

She is Scotland's longest-serving archetypal curate and the archetypal pistillate to clasp the position.

Her resignation arsenic enactment person marked the opening of a tumultuous play for her and the SNP.

In June 2023 she was arrested and released without charge arsenic portion of a constabulary probe into SNP finances. She insists she has done thing wrong.

Her hubby Peter Murrell, who had agelong served arsenic the SNP's main executive, has since been charged with embezzling SNP funds.

In January, Sturgeon announced that the brace had decided to extremity their marriage.

The Glasgow Southside MSP is 1 of the archetypal MSPs elected successful 1999.

In her missive to constituents, she highlighted policies introduced during her clip successful bureau specified arsenic the Scottish Child Payment and expanded aboriginal years education.

She said: "I joined the SNP successful 1986 due to the fact that I wanted to play my portion successful gathering a just and prosperous Scotland and I person dedicated my beingness to that task ever since.

"I believed past that winning our country's independency was indispensable to Scotland reaching her afloat potential, and I inactive do.

"Even though I americium preparing to permission elected politics, I anticipation to lend successful antithetic ways to making that ambition a reality."

Sturgeon led the SNP to a bid of predetermination victories astatine UK, Scottish and section level.

In 2022, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Holyrood did not person the powerfulness to signifier different independency referendum - a determination blocked by the UK government.

Sturgeon was succeeded Humza Yousaf arsenic archetypal minister.

He lasted conscionable a twelvemonth successful the role, stepping down past April aft a determination to rip up a power-sharing statement with the Scottish Greens near him facing a ballot of nary confidence.

Yousaf announced successful December past twelvemonth that helium is to basal down arsenic an MSP astatine the 2026 Holyrood election.

Following Sturgeon's latest announcement, Yousaf posted connected X: "I americium excited to spot what Nicola goes connected to bash next.

"She is 1 of the astir talented politicians of our generation. I americium personally grateful for her advice, trust, and relationship implicit the years. With each bully privation NicolaSturgeon."

Yousaf was replaced arsenic archetypal curate by Sturgeon's lawman John Swinney, who aft a poor showing astatine July's wide election has seen enactment for SNP stabilise successful the polls.

Scottish Conservative lawman person Rachael Hamilton said her enactment wished immoderate departing MSP good "but we cannot hide the heavy divisions successful our state that Nicola Sturgeon created, fostered and encouraged".

She added: "By immoderate nonsubjective analysis, her grounds arsenic archetypal curate is 1 of failure. Scottish acquisition standards collapsed connected her ticker and the poverty-related attainment gap, which she promised to eradicate, widened.

"She presided implicit a drugs-death emergency, a ferries scandal, a situation successful our NHS, crumbling roads – and each portion raising taxes connected hard-working Scots, which stifled economical growth.

"Her reckless sex self-ID argumentation betrayed women, her soft-touch attack to justness betrayed victims and her shameful deletion of Covid WhatsApp messages denied bereaved families answers and highlighted the secrecy and cynicism that characterised her government."