Nicola Sturgeon announces she will not seek re-election to Holyrood next year

12 March 2025, 09:54 | Updated: 12 March 2025, 10:23

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon will not seek re-election to Holyrood next year, she has announced.

The ex-SNP leader has been an MSP since 1999 and said representing Glasgow Southside had been "an honour beyond words".

In a post on Instagram, Ms Sturgeon added: "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.

"I have therefore written this morning to SNP members in my constituency informing them that I will not be seeking selection for next year's Holyrood election."

Ms Sturgeon thanked past and present constituents for the "trust" they had placed in her.

She added: "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.

"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 joined the SNP when she was a teenager and worked as a solicitor before her election to the Scottish parliament in 1999.

She succeeded the late Alex Salmond as first minister of Scotland after his resignation in 2014 following the results of the Scottish independence referendum.

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(c) Sky News 2025: Nicola Sturgeon announces she will not seek re-election to Holyrood next year