Former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon dramatically quit today insisting she wants to start a ‘new chapter’ outside of politics.
The ex-SNP leader announced she will be standing down as the MSP for Glasgow Southside at elections next spring.
Ms Sturgeon ruled Scottish politics for years before she walked away from Scotland’s top job in March 2023 – shortly before her husband Peter Murrell was arrested in a police probe into the SNP’s finances.
News that she will not stand comes despite reports last month that she had been given the green light by the party to be a candidate.
Ms Sturgeon was arrested in June 2023 in relation to the Operation Branchform investigation into the SNP’s finances.
She was subsequently released without charge pending further investigation, while Mr Murrell – formerly SNP chief executive – was eventually charged in relation to the alleged embezzlement of party funds.
Earlier this year, the pair announced their separation and planned divorce.
Speaking to journalists in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon said she had known ‘for some time’ what her plans were.
‘Once you say it out loud, there’s a sense of relief,’ she said.
‘I feel sad, because we are talking here about me turning the page on my life, so far.
‘I’ve dedicated my life to trying to make Scotland a better place, I’ve dedicated my life to public service.’
There was not a ‘single moment’ where she decided it was time to step away from Holyrood, she said, ‘but over the last wee while, I’ve known that this moment would come’.
In a letter to local SNP members posted on Instagram, she said: ‘I am writing to let you know that I have decided not to seek re-election to the Scottish Parliament next year.
‘Reaching this decision has been far from easy, however, I have known in my heart for a while that the time is right for me to embrace different opportunities in a new chapter of my life, and to allow you to select a new standard bearer.
‘Whoever you choose will have my full support and I look forward to campaigning alongside you to ensure that Glasgow Southside remains an SNP-held constituency.’
Ms Sturgeon said she will be with the SNP ‘every step of the way’ towards independence, despite stepping down as an MSP.
‘To my constituents, past and present: thank you for the trust you have placed in me. Being your MSP has been my privilege and I will continue to represent you to the best of my abilities until I step down next year,’ she said in a post alongside her announcement.
‘To Southside SNP members: your support, loyalty and friendship, through thick and thin, has meant more to me than you will ever know. You are the best of the best.
‘To SNP members across the country: I may be leaving Parliament, but I will be by your side every step of the way as we complete our journey to independence.’
Ms Sturgeon is due to release a book about her life and political career this summer.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said that while her party would ‘wish any departing MSP well’, they could ‘not forget the deep divisions in our country that Nicola Sturgeon created, fostered and encouraged’.
Hitting out at the former first minster, Ms Hamilton said: ‘By any objective analysis, her record as First Minister is one of failure.
‘Scottish education standards collapsed on her watch and the poverty-related attainment gap, which she promised to eradicate, widened.
‘She presided over a drugs-death emergency, a ferries scandal, a crisis in our NHS, crumbling roads – and all while raising taxes on hard-working Scots, which stifled economic growth.
‘Her reckless gender self-ID policy betrayed women, her soft-touch approach to justice betrayed victims and her shameful deletion of Covid WhatsApp messages denied bereaved families answers and highlighted the secrecy and cynicism that characterised her government.’
May 2021 – Douglas Chapman resigns from his role as SNP treasurer, saying he had not been given enough information to do his job
July 2021 – Police Scotland confirm they are investigating after seven complaints were made around donations to the SNP. This followed allegations that £600,000 raised for campaigning towards Scottish independence was diverted elsewhere.
August 2021 – As the party’s annual accounts are published, new SNP treasurer Colin Beattie acknowledges ‘concern’ about transparency over independence-related appeals that had raised more than £600,000.
December 2022 – It emerges that Peter Murrell, the SNP chief executive, had loaned the party £100,000 in June 2021.
February 2023 – Nicola Sturgeon suddenly announces her resignation. She says this was not in relation to short-term pressures but because she knew in her ‘head and heart’ that the time was right to go.
March 2023 – Amid the SNP leadership contest to replace Ms Sturgeon, her husband Mr Murrell announces he is stepping down as the party’s chief executive amid a row over the party’s membership numbers.
5 April 2023 – Mr Murrell is arrested and is released without charge, pending further investigation, the same day.
9 April 2023 – A luxury camper van is seized by police investigating the SNP’s finances, thought to be worth around £110,000.
18 April 2023 – Mr Beattie is arrested and interviewed by police. He subsequently quits as SNP treasurer.
May 2023 – The SNP appoint AMS Accountant Group as their new auditors. Their previous auditors Johnston Carmichael stood down in September 2022.
11 June 2023 – Ms Sturgeon is arrested. She ‘voluntarily’ arranges with Police Scotland to be questioned.
18 April 2024 – Mr Murrell is charged in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the SNP after being arrested for a second time.
23 May 2024 – Police Scotland send a report to Scotland’s prosecution service in relation to Mr Murrell.
February 2025 – It is reported that Ms Sturgeon has been cleared by the SNP’s vetting process to stand as an MSP candidate next spring.
12 March 2025 – Ms Sturgeon announces she will not be standing at the Holyrood elections.