Independence Day: The Real Reason Sturgeon Resigned

Nicola Sturgeon stunned both Holyrood and Westminster with the shock announcement that she is standing down as SNP leader and Scotland's first minister after eight years. "In my head, and in my heart, I know that the time is now, that it's right for me, for my party and my country," she told a hastily arranged press conference yesterday morning.

- Adam Forrest

Ms Sturgeon, who has been under huge pressure over her particular approach to trans rights, said her decision to quit was not a "reaction to short-term pressures". She also said her resignation now "frees the SNP" to choose the path it believes to be the right one on the issue of Scottish independence without worrying about "the perceived implications for my leadership".

The SNP chief suggested that she had been "wrestling" with the decision for several weeks now, saying she had had to consider the physical and mental impact" of leading the country after being in charge since 2014. Ms Sturgeon was reluctant to be drawn on the specific reasons behind her decision to quit - but it is thought that November's Supreme Court ruling, which dashed hopes of a second independence referendum without Westminster's approval, came as a major blow.