London Rumors of resignation have been circulating in Edinburgh for days. However, no one wanted to believe that the feisty Nicola Sturgeon was really giving up. On Wednesday the time had come: The 52-year-old announced her resignation as “First Minister” in Scotland. Sturgeon wants to remain in office as head of government and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) until her party finds a successor.
As a result, not only the SNP suddenly has a leadership vacuum. Scottish nationalists suffer a severe setback in their quest for independence from the UK. The withdrawal, which came as a surprise to many, could also change the political dynamics in Great Britain.
Hardly anyone doubts that the SNP will again be the strongest party in the next election. But the Labor Party could benefit from the leadership vacuum in Scotland and win important seats for a change of government in London in the general election, which is likely to take place in 2024.
Sturgeon explained her move for personal reasons: “I know in my head and in my heart that it is the right time to leave office,” said the politician in an emotional speech in Edinburgh. She worked for politics all her life and put her family on the back burner.
“You can only do that for a limited time.” Also because the life of politicians has become “more intense and brutal” today. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanked Sturgeon for her efforts.
Sturgeon had to put up with extensive criticism
In addition, after eight years, it is considered “very controversial” by many in the country, Sturgeon continued. Which meant that even the simplest decisions “become very difficult”. With her resignation, she now wants to pave the way for a “more rational and less polarized” debate. This also applies to her proposal to de facto make the next general election a new referendum on Scottish independence.
She had also been criticized for this by party friends. Your party is now free to pursue this plan. “I have taken Scotland a step further towards independence, whoever follows me will complete that,” she said. The SNP will probably already decide on the successor at its party conference in March.
English bookmakers see Scottish minister and SNP politician Angus Robertson as the favourite. But the 32-year-old financial politician Kate Forbes is also given good chances.
Supporters of the law giving more rights to transgender people protest outside Parliament in Edinburgh (archive photo).
(Photo: dpa)
Sturgeon took office as Prime Minister in 2014 after the first failed independence referendum. She was considered a resolute advocate of Scottish independence and repeatedly pushed for a second referendum, especially after Great Britain left the EU.
However, this was always rejected by the Conservative government in London. Most recently, she failed with her plan at the Supreme Court of Great Britain.
‘Scottish nationalists are losing their best advocate for independence’
“Scottish nationalists are not only losing their most popular politician, they are also losing their best advocate for independence,” said Strathclyde political scientist John Curtice. The SNP has no natural successor to show for itself.
Sturgeon has been the dominant political figure in Scotland for eight years. However, the latest opinion polls by the Institute Panelbase show that more than 40 percent of Scottish voters are in favor of Sturgeon’s resignation.
The Scottish Prime Minister denied that the recent scandal over the treatment of trans offenders had prompted her resignation. “It wasn’t a rash decision, but my decision has matured since the turn of the year,” she emphasized.
Sturgeon has come under intense public pressure in recent weeks after protests forced her to stop the transfer of a transgender person convicted of two counts of rape to a women’s prison. At the time of the crimes, the trans woman had a male identity.
The fact that the Scottish government also wanted to pass a law that would make it easier for citizens to change their gender in official documents caused Sturgeon additional political difficulties.
London is opposed and announced that it would block the change in the law. Domestically, the head of government was also in the crossfire of her critics because of the long-term deficits in the state health system and because of her education policy. She rejected allegations that she had not fulfilled her promise for better educational opportunities in Scotland: “I am proud that things are fairer in Scotland today.”
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