Nicola Sturgeon has resigned as Scotland’s first minister after eight years in the role. Speaking at a last-minute press conference in Edinburgh this morning (15 February), Sturgeon said her decision came from a “place of duty and love”.

“Since my very first moments in the job, I have believed the part of serving well would be to know, almost instinctively, when the time is right to make way for someone else,” she said. “In my head and in my heart I know that time is now.”

She continued: “While it will be tempting to see it as such, this decision is not a reaction to short-term pressures. This decision comes from a deeper and longer-term assessment. It might seem sudden, but I have been wrestling with it, albeit with oscillating levels of intensity, for some weeks.”

Nicola Sturgeon has resigned as Scotland’s first minister after 8 years in office