Nicola Sturgeon to stand down as MSP next year
Scotland's former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced she is standing down as an MSP.
Sturgeon, who led the Scottish National party from 2014 until her shock resignation in 2023, said she would not seek re-election in 2026, telling her Glasgow Southside constituency party members: '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.'
In the letter, which she also posted on social media, Sturgeon – who has been a member of the Scottish parliament since its inception in 1999 – said she hoped the policies she had implemented as first minister – including the Scottish child payment, expanded early years education, investment in housing and new hospitals – had benefited people across Scotland.
Sturgeon, who remains popular among many sections of the SNP, also addressed party members across the country in her social media post, telling them: 'I may be leaving parliament, but I will be by your side every step of the way as we complete our journey to independence.'
She added that 'given the challenges facing the world today, it is more important than ever that progressive voices continue to speak up for fairness, equality and dignity for all'.
Her decision was not unexpected: Sturgeon had evidently switched her focus away from Holyrood politics back to her constituency since she stepped down aftera gruelling run of challenges, including the Covid pandemic, the Holyrood inquiry into the Scottish government's handling of sexual assault allegations against her predecessor Alex Salmond, and the controversy around her flagship gender recognition reforms.
She has made few political interventions in the intervening time, concentrating instead on writing her memoir, which is due for publication later this year, and her recent public appearances have been culturally inclined, attending book festivals and holding a series of in-conversation events with her friend, the crime novellist Val McDermid, to discuss their love of books with literary guests.
Her jaunty social media posts show her enjoying the 'ordinary stuff that most people take for granted', which she referenced in her resignation speech as having become increasingly out of her reach.
Earlier this year Sturgeon announced her divorce from her husband of 15 years, the former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, who was arrested and charged last year over the alleged embezzlement of donations to the SNP.
Sturgeon, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing over the party's finances, was also arrested by Police Scotland detectives in June 2023 and officially remains under investigation as part of Operation Branchform, but has not been charged.
She leaves elected office as support for her party has rallied following July's catastrophic general election defeat – in which the SNP was reduced from 48 MPs in 2019 to nine as Labour swept the board across the country.
The current first minister John Swinney has steadied the party in the runup to next May's Holyrood elections after a year of turmoil, which included the Branchform arrests as well as the resignation of Sturgeon's successor, Humza Yousaf, after the collapse of the governing partnership with the Scottish Greens.
Now governing as a minority, Swinney has brought a tight focus to his premiership, prioritising the elimination of child poverty, improving public services and growing the economy.
Along with Sturgeon, Holyrood faces a significant drain of experienced figures, with seasoned politicians of all parties, including a number of former and current cabinet secretaries, stepping down next May.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Donald Trump is reshaping democracy for authoritarians
It depicts US president Donald Trump as a firefighter arriving at an emergency scene somewhere – most likely Los Angeles – declaring: 'I'm here to put out the fire.' Facing off against him is a lone US citizen who duly points out to the firefighter that what, in fact, he's carrying is not a water hose but a flamethrower. To say that it encapsulates what is happening in Los Angeles right now would be an understatement, for the United States is changing in ways rarely seen before. READ MORE: SNP minister responds to 'secret meeting to discuss John Swinney leadership' reports Some, rightly, will argue it was ever going to be thus after the last US presidential election, and Trump was unleashed by the American people on themselves. In retrospect, doubtless some Americans regret electing Trump now that they see him set about the nation, brandishing every available tool or weapon capable of causing division or harm. 'Chainsaw' or 'flamethrower,' these have become Trump's weapons of choice in reshaping his country's democracy in tandem with imposing a blueprint of authoritarian rule. Yes, Trump has insisted that sending in federal troops is aimed at restoring calm or 'putting out the fire' of radical 'left-wing' agitators. He's even suggested invoking the Insurrection Act to quell the protesters in Los Angeles. But the real insurrection here – as back in January 2021 – is one ignited by Trump himself. There is a familiar even deeper historical pattern emerging here too, one that I was reminded of while watching a repeat on BBC4 recently of the landmark series, Rise Of The Nazis. As one newspaper review of the original series aired back in 1999 rightly noted, it served as a lesson in 'how easily – and petrifyingly quickly – a democratic country can move to a totalitarian dictatorship'. (Image: Evelyn Hockstein, REUTERS) Those who say such an observation is nothing but hyperbole in relation to America right now, need to think again. For watching the Rise Of The Nazis is to recall the ease with which propaganda, economic exploitation, and political manipulation came together and were harnessed for authoritarian rule. Trump like Hitler – and all those with authoritarian tendencies – know the political value in triggering those same tendencies among supporters by presenting them with a perceived threat to their shared way of life. Just as the Nazis manufactured crises to work to their advantage, so too does the Trump administration. Right now, the federal intervention in the US – again like 1930s Germany – is aimed at creating a showdown by painting a picture of a threat of disorder to the country at large. In Los Angeles, the template being deployed was outlined succinctly this week in The Economist magazine and goes as follows. First, 'announce an immigration crackdown on a city whose leadership does not want it, wait for protests, then call in the troops to put down the protesters. Cracking heads serves as a warning to other cities that might resist. It is also a signal to MAGA loyalists that Trump is doing what they elected him for'. (Image: MARK FELIX, AFP /AFP via Getty Images) Trump then is increasingly keen on using the military to quell protests against his policies. Sound familiar? 'We're gonna have troops everywhere,' he said, when asked about the situation in Los Angeles. And that's just the start, for Americans will see lots more US military personnel and weaponry on the streets of Washington this weekend as parades marking the US Army's 250th anniversary get underway. That there are echoes here of the Nuremberg rallies of 30s Nazi Germany has not been lost on many. The deployment of federal troops and US Marines in Los Angeles aside, we've also seen paratroopers drop from the sky with Trump giving a partisan encore speech to troops at Fort Bragg. This weekend it will culminate in a 'big beautiful' parade to coincide with the 'great leader's' birthday that will make last month's Victory Day parade in Moscow look quaint by comparison. Only the most blinkered could fail to see what Trump is doing here. This, after all, is a president with whom the US military has by and large had little truck until now. Trump's timely diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels that led to his medical exemption from the military during Vietnam never did him any favours in the eyes of many veterans. His unwillingness to recognise their sacrifice in fighting fascism in the Second World War led also to that infamous remark that Europe's military cemeteries 'were filled with losers'. But now, for Trump, it's time to think again, for that's what despots and dictators do when they need the military onside. All this wooing of America's armed forces with false praise allows Trump to make a point of showing executive force he always coveted but could only dream of during his first term. Admittedly, not everyone is convinced by Trump's newfound 'celebration' of America's military might, with reports that US veterans are split over their president's true motives. While some see it as a thing to be proud of, others remain wary of Trump's manipulation of it for his own political ends. Which takes me back to events unfolding in Los Angeles, for here the devil lies in the detail. That detail is how Trump's administration has cited a provision in the armed forces code allowing the president to put National Guard members under federal control when there is a 'rebellion or danger of a rebellion' against the authority of the US government. It's almost as if Trump and his cabal know what's coming with regard to America's future as they cynically seek to expand the powers of his presidency by riding roughshod over America's political system of checks and balances between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Some might say so what? Trump, they argue, was elected democratically by a sweeping majority. But so too have other leaders who went on to consolidate authoritarian regimes. Back in 1930, while appearing before a constitutional court, Adolf Hitler brazenly informed the court that once he had achieved power through legal means, he intended to shape the government as he saw fit. 'So, only through constitutional means?' a judge asked, to which Hitler's now infamous sharp reply was, 'Jawohl'. Yes indeed. Just as Germany transformed politically in the 1930s before the world's eyes, likewise the momentum in America's shift toward authoritarian rule is accelerating by the day. It's high time we sat up and took notice of just what that could mean for us all.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Drug consumption room leads to abandoned needles complaints
The figures, which go up to May 20, 2025, are thought to be the 'tip of the iceberg' with fears residents may be handling the issue themselves instead of lodging an official report. The number of police call outs within the vicinity of the building can also be revealed. The police data includes Police Scotland's BA18 beat, which includes Hunter Street, Bell Street and parts of Duke Street. Councillor Allan Casey, city convener for addictions, said the facilities was part of the solution - not the problem. The Herald reveals the data days after the Scottish Government confirmed suspected drug deaths had risen by a third between January and March 2025. There were 308 such deaths in the first three months of the year, up 33% during the same time in 2024. Official reports suggested suspected drug deaths in Scotland 'remained at a high level', with cases up by 76 when compared to October and December 2024. Read more: Scotland's first drug consumption room opened in January under a three-year pilot project which allows clients to inject illegally-bought heroin or cocaine under medical supervision. The specific aim of the facility is to reduce overdoses and drug-related harm. Between January and March, 143 people visited The Thistle Centre a total of 1,067 times. Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain confirmed that users would not be prosecuted for possessing illegal substances while at the facility. However, the data obtained by the Scottish Tories also revealed police officers have been called to the surrounding areas of Hunter Street 195 times since the facility opened. Between January and May, officers responded to 95 incidents relating to theft, 23 for public nuisance, 19 for disturbance and 13 for specific drugs or substance misuse. Other incidents included intrusion, noise, abduction and extortion, sexual offences, vehicle crime and assault. Annie Wells, drugs spokeswoman for the Scottish Tories, urged the Scottish Government to call time on the 'reckless' experiment. She said the Scottish Government instead should back the Right to Recovery Bill, introduced to Holyrood by former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, which looks to enshrine the right to treatment for alcohol or drug addiction. She said: 'SNP ministers are completely detached from reality. Their flagship drug consumption room is making life a misery for local residents. Read more: 'They pinned all their hopes on state-sponsored drug taking, but their solution is failing. Drug deaths are still climbing and locals are left to pick up dirty needles just to keep their streets safe. 'The Thistle is piling even more pressure on our already overstretched police officers. 'SNP ministers really don't have a clue what's going on. They think putting needle bins on the streets will fix things, when in reality it will just normalise drug use. 'SNP ministers should call time on this reckless experiment and finally back the game-changing Right to Recovery Bill, which would enshrine in law a right to treatment.' After suspected drug death figures were revealed on Tuesday, the Scottish Government stressed numbers 'fluctuate from quarter to quarter', adding that 'care should be taken not to interpret movements between individual calendar quarters as indicative of any long-term trend'. The data also showed there were 166 – or 14% - fewer drug deaths in the 12 months to March 2025. Councillor Casey told The Herald: 'Annie Wells' remarks are not only detached from reality but dangerously misleading. To suggest that crime and drug use are new problems in this community is a blatant denial of decades of challenges that this community has faced. 'The Thistle facility is not the cause of these issues — it is part of the solution. With 38 overdose reversals already under its belt in just 5 and a half months, the Thistle has undoubtedly saved lives that would have otherwise been lost. Calling for its closure is reckless and shows a complete disregard for the health and wellbeing of vulnerable people and their families. 'Ms Wells was due to visit the Thistle this week as part of her role on the Criminal Justice Committee to hear directly from staff about the vital, life-saving work they are doing — yet she couldn't even be bothered to show up. This absence speaks volumes about her unwillingness to engage with the facts and the people on the ground. 'Ms. Wells owes those whose lives have been saved, their families and the wider community struggling with addiction, a clear explanation of why she wants to shut down a proven, life-saving service. Instead of spouting empty rhetoric, she should support real, evidence-based harm reduction strategies — something SNP ministers have shown the courage to do while critics like her cling to failed, outdated approaches.' The Scottish Government has been asked for comment.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Time to step up and fix housing crisis after Swinney handed £9billion funding boost
Scotland's housing emergency is easy to ignore if you're fortunate enough to own your own home or have a secure tenancy with a socially responsible landlord. But everyone's personal circumstances can change dramatically. Finding somewhere new to live has become markedly harder in recent years. Mortgage rates have soared while the private rental market has exploded. Rising numbers of Scots across the country have been forced to declare themselves homeless to their local council because they cannot find affordable accommodation. This increasing demand has in turn led to multiple local authorities declaring housing emergencies. The end result is 10,000 children living with their families in unsuitable temporary accommodation such as B&Bs or hotels. Homelessness charities have repeatedly warned rough sleeping is also on the rise. The UK Government yesterday pledged £39billion would be spent on providing affordable homes over the next decade in England. Housing is a devolved issue so it's now up to SNP ministers in Holyrood to match that level of ambition in Scotland. The Scottish Government will receive more cash over the next three years as a result of Rachel Reeves's spending review. It's up to them to ensure this extra funding is channelled into housebuilding. There must be a joint approach with local authorities – particularly in our biggest cities – to ensure there is a huge push to build more affordable homes. Our housing emergency has gone on long enough. It's time the Scottish Government stepped up and ended it. Knife crime plea Graeme Pearson, ex-director-general of the Scottish Drug and Crime Enforcement Agency, makes a strong argument for upping efforts to steer youngsters away from violence. On the day John Swinney hosts a youth violence summit, Pearson says more must be done to provide alternatives for young people to help steer them away from offending. His call is an echo of the Record's Our Kids ... Our future campaign. But Pearson goes further and warns that many of those youths using knives may be lured into organised crime by the prospect of easy money. That point has been made clear in recent weeks when you consider the ages of those arrested in connection with the gangland feud in Scotland. Most are in their late teens and early 20s. Summits, like the one Swinney hosts today, must make clear the consequences of knife crime but also hammer home there is nothing glamorous about a criminal life.
