Nicola Sturgeon resigns as Scotland First Minister

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon unexpectedly resigned on Wednesday, and admitted she had been wrestling with the decision "for weeks".

Sturgeon, who has been Scotland's longest-serving first minister since taking the job in 2014, said "in my head and in my heart" that it was the "right time" to step down. She added that she would stay in post until a successor is elected.

"Be in no doubt, this is really hard for me, but it comes from a place of duty and love," she said, and denied that her departure was the result of recent political difficulties.

The leader of the Scottish National Party has been hit by two major setbacks, including the UK supreme court defeat of her plans for a fresh independence referendum and a damaging row over a transgender double rapist being sent to a female jail.

There was also controversy over reform of gender recognition laws in the country.

“I have spent almost three decades in frontline politics, a decade and a half on the top or second-top rung of government. When it comes to navigating choppy waters, resolving seemingly intractable issues, or soldiering on when walking away would be the simpler option, I have plenty of experience to draw on," she told reporters.

“So if this was just a question of my ability or my resilience to get through the latest period of pressure I wouldn’t be standing here today, but it’s not. This decision comes from a deeper and longer-term assessment. I know it may seem sudden, but I have been wrestling with it, albeit with oscillating levels of intensity for some weeks."

“Essentially, I’ve been trying to answer two questions: is carrying on right for me? And more importantly, is me carrying on right for the country, for my party and for the independence cause I have devoted my life to?”

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com