Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced her surprise resignation on Wednesday after more than eight years, kicking off a race for a new leader to deliver on the party’s campaign for independence.
In a hastily arranged news conference, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) said in “my head and in my heart” he knew the time was right to quit.
Opponents and members of the SNP alike have praised his high-profile presence in British politics over the past few years. But he left after facing heightened pressure on his tactics for transgender freedom and rights.
The 52-year-old confirmed he will remain first minister until the SNP elects a new leader, and will also remain a member of the Scottish Parliament until at least the next election, due in 2026.
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Sturgeon stressed that her decision to resign was “not a reaction to short-term pressures” and “came from a deeper, longer-term assessment”.
“I know it might be sudden, but I’ve been struggling with it – even with an oscillating level of intensity – for a few weeks,” he said.
“I am a human being as well as a politician,” he added.
“Giving everything yourself to this project is the only way to do it. This country deserves nothing less. But the truth is that this can only be done by anyone for so long.”
– The question of independence –
Despite this, as recently as last month he insisted he would remain as first minister, telling the BBC he was “nowhere near” ready to step down after Jacinda Ardern’s shock bid to become New Zealand’s prime minister.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised Sturgeon’s “long service” and wished her “all the best for her next steps”.
The UK government’s secretary of state for Scotland, Alister Jack, called him a “powerful politician”.
But he also called on his eventual successor as SNP leader to “put aside his divisive obsession with independence”.
Also read: England’s top court rejects Scotland’s independence vote plan
Recognizing the important role played by Brexit during Sturgeon’s tenure, which she and the majority of Scots oppose, Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar hailed her as a “true European”.
Sturgeon’s predecessor Alex Salmond – who she fell out with after she was accused of sexual harassment – said she was leaving “no obvious replacement”.
Salmond, who later formed his own pro-independence party, said the onus was now on new leaders “to reset the independence movement” after a troubled period.
After losing one vote in 2014, the SNP has been agitating for a second plebiscite, arguing that the UK-wide Brexit referendum in 2016 should allow for a new discussion of the Scottish opinion.
But the British government rejected the argument, and the Supreme Court of England in November on the London side, leaving the SNP in limbo now to achieve independence at the ballot box.
– Transgender rapist –
Sturgeon said the current SNP-led government would use the UK election due to start in 2025 as a “de facto referendum” on separation, after more than 300 years.
But some in the SNP fear that forcing voters to choose Stark can backfire on the party and push up support for the Labor party, which once ruled the roost in Scotland, and for the Conservatives.
And polls show a drop in support because of the Supreme Court ruling.
Also read: UK PM Sunak says ‘enough’ to review Scotland’s gender reassignment laws
However, Sturgeon said: “I am confident that my successor, whoever he is, will lead Scotland to independence, and I will be there cheering them on every step of the way.”
Possible contenders in the SNP include Constitutional Secretary Angus Robertson, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and Deputy First Minister John Swinney.
Sturgeon oversaw an unprecedented election success for the SNP, but more recently has seen the loss of a number of normally confident politicians.
She faced a huge backlash after pushing for legislation that would allow anyone over the age of 16 to change gender without a medical diagnosis.
The law would allow a rapist — who transitions from male to female after being convicted — to serve a prison sentence in a female-only facility.
After the uproar over the rape case, the UK government used an unprecedented veto to block the SNP’s proposed legislation, exposing Sturgeon’s relative power in the touchstone case.