Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond announces his intention to resign

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has announced his decision to resign from his post following today´s independence referendum result once a successor has been named by his party.

According to the final tally Scots chose by a margin of 55% to 45% to remain within the UK.

"But, as I said often during the referendum campaign, this is not about me or the SNP. It is much more important than that.

"The position is this. We lost the referendum vote but can still carry the political initiative. More importantly Scotland can still emerge as the real winner," he said, according to the BBC.

Neither will he seek relection as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) at its upcoming annual conference in Perth on 13-15 November.