Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon quits in blow for independence – ‘she’s had enough’
- Sturgeon became leader of ruling Scottish National Party in wake of 2014 independence referendum when the country voted 55 per cent to remain part of UK
- She led her party to a resounding success at the 2015 UK election, winning 56 of 59 seats in Scotland and establishing it as Britain’s third largest party
Nicola Sturgeon, who has dominated Scottish politics for almost a decade as first minister, resigned on Wednesday, standing down with no obvious successor in place and dealing a blow to the fight for independence.
Sturgeon, 52, became the leader of the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) in the wake of its 2014 independence referendum when the country voted 55 per cent to 45 per cent to remain as part of the United Kingdom.
She led her party to a resounding success at the 2015 UK election, winning 56 of 59 seats in Scotland and establishing it as Britain’s third largest party, before she retained control over the devolved parliament at more recent elections.
But she has recently become embroiled in a row with the London government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and some of her own voters, over a gender recognition bill and London has blocked the path to another independence referendum.
“She’s had enough,” the BBC cited a source close to Sturgeon as saying.
Sturgeon’s SNP suffered a blow in November when the United Kingdom’s top court ruled that her Scottish government could not hold a second referendum without approval from the British parliament.