Search begins for Sturgeon's successor

The search to find a successor for Nicola Sturgeon has begun following the First Minister's surprise resignation on Wednesday.

Nicola Sturgeon shocked Holyrood yesterday morning, when she told a hastily arranged press conference she was to quit.

The SNP leader insisted recent political challenges, such as the UK Government's decision to halt its gender recognition reforms, had not influenced the decision.

READ MORE: Reaction floods as Nicola Sturgeon resigns as Scotland's First Minister

The SNP's national executive committee is meeting online at 6.30pm on Thursday to discuss the timing for a leadership contest.

SNP president Michael Russell has said he expects that process to be "shortened" and for there to be a "contested election".

Who's in the running ?

Here is a look at the potential candidates to take over as First Minister, and who has ruled themselves out:

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has ruled himself - and the entirety of his group - out of a tilt at the leadership, insisting the next person for the job would come from Holyrood.

It is not clear if this was a binding announcement, so there may still be some MPs that look at the possibility of running, but it would remove one of the more high-profile critics of the First Minister.

Edinburgh South West MP Joanna Cherry has been a thorn in the side of the leadership in recent years, particularly over the issue of gender.

The announcement - if MPs decide to abide by it - would also rule out deputy Westminster leader Mhairi Black, former defence spokesman Stewart McDonald and ex-Westminster leadership candidate Alison Thewliss.

Mr Flynn's comments also mean the new SNP leader is likely to be the next First Minister of Scotland, rather than the leader serving at Westminster while a deputy runs the country.

Angus Robertson

Currently the bookies' favourite for the top job, the Scottish Constitution Secretary has been a high-profile figure in the party for the best part of a decade, serving as Westminster leader before losing his seat in the Commons to Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross.

The Edinburgh Central MSP has also been a close ally of the First Minister.

Kate Forbes

The Finance Secretary, who is currently on maternity leave after the birth of her first child, has long been seen as a potential successor to the First Minister.

She was thrust into the limelight by having to step in and deliver the Scottish budget at the 11th hour in 2020 after her predecessor Derek Mackay resigned in disgrace.

But the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, who is a Free Church of Scotland member, could be at odds with the wider party - and current policy - on some social issues, including the hotly-debated gender reforms blocked by the UK Government.

Humza Yousaf

The Health Secretary has consistently been among the names mentioned as a potential First Minister of the future.

But his stewardship of the controversial Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill through Parliament while he was justice secretary and his handling of the current NHS crisis may have dented his chances with the membership.

John Swinney

Currently serving as Deputy First Minister and a former leader himself, Mr Swinney should be considered a dark horse in the race.

A figure who commands respect across the party, Mr Swinney has intimated before that he would not want the top job, but he could be seen as a safe pair of hands to get the party, and the country, through a tumultuous time.

Ash Regan

The only candidate who has given even a signal of intention to run, Ms Regan would be considered an outsider for the job.

She recently quit as community safety minister in the hours before the first vote on the Scottish Government's gender reforms, citing concerns with the legislation that the First Minister said she had not raised before.

Ms Regan has since been an outspoken opponent of the reforms, appearing at and speaking to various rallies.

A "source close to" the Edinburgh Eastern MSP told the Daily Express she is considering a run, although no official announcement has been forthcoming.

And.....Andy Murray...?

One unlikely candidate seems to have the seal of approval from the outgoing First Minister, with Andy Murray tweeting a tongue-in-cheek comment, hinting he could turn from tennis to politics.

Key challenges for Nicola Sturgeon's successor

Sturgeon's resignation follows a series of political challenges in recent months as her Government sought to push through gender reforms, only for them to be blocked by Westminster.

She insisted the row surrounding a transgender double rapist being sent to a women's jail "wasn't the final straw", but said it is "time for someone else" to lead the party.

Ms Sturgeon acknowledged the "choppy waters", but insisted her resignation was not in response to the "latest period of pressure".

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon says decision to stand down "is not a reaction to short-term pressures"

"This decision comes from a deeper and longer-term assessment," the 52-year-old said.

"In my head and in my heart I know that time is now. That it's right for me, for my party and my country," she told reporters at Bute House, her official residence.

Nicola Sturgeon's shock resignation announcement leaves an extraordinary gap in Scottish and UK politics.

Whoever becomes her successor as SNP leader will face a number of difficult challenges which, until now, have been the domain of Ms Sturgeon.

Here are some of the key tasks for whoever steps into her shoes, becoming leader of Scotland's dominant political party and the country's First Minister.

Defining a route to independence

Scottish independence is the SNP's raison d'etre, and the party was due to have a special conference in March to decide exactly what proposition it would put to the electorate.

But that conference is now in doubt, with Westminster leader Stephen Flynn saying it should be postponed while a new leader is chosen.

In the wake of repeated refusals from Westminster for a second independence referendum, Ms Sturgeon's preference was to treat the next general election as a de facto referendum.

The next leader will not be obliged to follow the same course. An alternative could be to treat the next Holyrood election - due in 2026 - as a de facto referendum.

Whatever choice is made, there is also the challenge of translating any election win into a mandate for independence.

What to do about gender recognition reforms

The Gender Recognition Reform Bill has sharply divided opinion in the SNP, several of its politicians are vocal critics and a minister resigned from Ms Sturgeon's Government over the issue.

It became a constitutional dispute when the UK Government took the unprecedented step of using Section 35 of the Scotland Act to block the Bill from becoming law, despite a majority of MSPs voting for it.

The stage seemed set for another courtroom clash between the Scottish and UK governments, but the next SNP leader may wish to take a different approach.

They could drop the Bill altogether or try to amend it in a way which would satisfy the UK Government.

Either of those options would leave many in the SNP and their allies unhappy.

National Care Service

Creating a new, centralised care system in Scotland is meant to be the most significant public service reform since the foundation of the NHS.

As it goes through the design and consultation phase, a number of groups have raised alarm that its costs could spiral and its exact role is yet to be defined.

Ms Sturgeon's Government has insisted the reform is needed and would be a fitting legacy of the Covid pandemic.

MSPs are due to vote on the Bill which would create the National Care Service later this year.

Opposition MSPs want the plans to be paused or dropped altogether.

Deposit return scheme

Another Scottish Government initiative, a bid to introduce a Scotland-wide deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers to encourage recycling, has also attracted anger from industry figures.

A cross-party group of MSPs has said it would be "reckless" to go ahead with it in August this year as planned.

However the Scottish Green Party, whose co-leader Lorna Slater is responsible for introducing the DRS, is determined to go ahead with it.

Strikes and budget pressures

Public services in Scotland and around the UK have been rocked by strikes, with a long-running industrial dispute with teaching unions remaining unresolved.

It comes amid pressure on the Scottish Government budget, with Deputy First Minister John Swinney saying "assiduous" efforts are being made to prevent overspend.

Taxes will be raised in the next financial year, but inflation will continue to pose difficulties for Scotland's finances.

Education and the NHS

The SNP has committed to reducing the poverty-related attainment gap in Scottish schools, but critics say ministers have failed to live up to their promises.

Meanwhile, Scotland's NHS is only just starting to recover from an extremely difficult winter which saw A&E waiting times reach record levels.

Improving results in these key areas will be a crucial challenge for the next First Minister.

Nicola Sturgeon's years as First Minister of Scotland

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