BREAKING: Nicola Sturgeon to step down as Scottish First Minister
She spent eight years in the role
Last updated 15th Feb 2023
Nicola Sturgeon will stand down as First Minister of Scotland after eight years.
The First Minister will speak at a hastily-arranged press conference from her residence at Bute House in Edinburgh at 11am.
It is not yet clear if she will stand down immediately, or continue in the role until a new SNP leader is elected.
A senior Scottish Government source close to Ms Sturgeon claims "She's had enough."
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.
And recent weeks have seen her forced to deal with the housing of transgender prisoners in women's facilities.
Rising to power unopposed after the ill-fated independence referendum in 2014, Nicola Sturgeon took over from Alex Salmond, the mentor with whom she would come into conflict in the years to come over the handling of sexual harassment allegations made against him.
But the First Minister stands down without realising her key political mission - independence for Scotland.
Her party will meet next month to discuss the holding of treating the next UK election as a "de facto referendum", with more than 50% of the vote being considered a mandate to begin negotiations for Scotland to become an independent country.
Nicola Sturgeon's years as First Minister of Scotland
In November 2014 Nicola Sturgeon is elected as SNP leader and First Minister after Alex Salmond, the previous leader resigned following the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
A few weeks later in December 2014 Nicola Sturgeon meets HM Queen at Buckingham Palace
In the 2015 General Election, Nicola Sturgeon embarks on a 5-day helicopter tour of Scotland. The SNP won a landslide election, winning 56 out of 59 Scottish seats in Westminster.
In 2016 the SNP lost its overall majority in the Scottish parliamentary elections but remained the largest party and Sturgeon continued as First Minister with a minority government. In October 2016 Nicola Sturgeon went to Downing Street for a meeting with then Prime Minister, Theresa May about the fallout from Brexit.
Here is Ms Sturgeon attending the opening of the Queensferry Crossing in September 2017 alongside HM Queen. The 2017 General election saw the SNP lose 21 seats in Westminter, but it still remained the biggest party in Scotland.
Nicola Sturgeon trying her hand at archery in 2017
July 2018 PRIDE Glasgow 2018 Nicola Sturgeon is pictured leading the walk up St Vincent St, Glasgow
Dec 2019: Nicola Sturgeon at a photo call with her SNP MPs outside the V&A Museum in Dundee. The SNP won 48 seats in the 2019 General election and were second place in the remaining 11 seats.
A pensive looking Nicola Sturgeon at Holyrood in March 2020 ahead of a statement from Health Minister, Jeane Freeman MSP on the state of Coronovirus in Scotland
November 2020 Nicola Sturgeon rriving at Holyrood wearing a face covering
March 2021 giving evidence to the Committee of the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints. The committee was set up to investigate how the Government breached its own guidelines in its original investigation into harassment claims against former First Minister Alex Salmond.
In 2021 Ms Sturgeon does what no other leader had done before and becomes First Minister for a third term in a row. The SNP won 64 of the 129 seats contested and formed a government with the Green Party.
May 2022 Nicola Sturgeon dons a 'Jimmy hat' as she gate crashes a hen-party during a visit to Portobello, Edinburgh, while on the local election campaign trail.
In June 2022, Sturgeon officially announced her plan for Scottish independence once again and said there was a way to get a referendum without permission from the UK Cabinet, but in November 2022 the Supreme Court ruled the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to legislate a referendum on independence.
In February 2023 Nicola Sturgeon announces her resignation as First Minister of Scotland. In a press conference she confirmed she would step down, but would remain in place until a new leader is elected.