Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon will not seek re-election next year

Key Points

Former First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has announced that she will step down from Parliament next year
The ex-SNP leader has been an MSP since the formation of Scottish Parliament in 1999
Sturgeon stepped down as First Minister in 2023 after leading the country for nine years
Sturgeon said that “in her heart”, she knew it the “time was right to open a new chapter” in her life.
First Minister John Swinney said Sturgeon had ‘changed Scottish lives for the better’

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon will not seek re-election next year.

The ex-SNP leader announced on Wednesday morning that she will stand down from Holyrood in 2026.

The 54-year-old said that “in her heart”, she knew it the “time was right to open a new chapter” in her life.

Sturgeon has been the MSP for the Glasgow Southside constituency since the formation of Scottish Parliament in 1999.

Sturgeon is Scotland’s longest-serving First Minister, and the only woman to hold the job. She left office in 2023 after nine years.

Nicola Sturgeon resigned as First Minister of Scotland on February 15, 2023 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Getty Images

In January, Sturgeon announced her separation from her husband and former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell. The announcement came after a turbulent few years for the couple that saw them both being arrested in connection with the police investigation into alleged misuse of party funds.

Sturgeon and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie were questioned as part of the investigation in June 2023 but were not charged.

Murrell was charged with embezzlement in April last year, but prosecutors from the Crown Office have yet to issue information over further action.

In a statement on social media on Wednesday, Sturgeon said: “Being one of the original 1999 Members of the Scottish Parliament, serving (by the time of the election) for 27 years – almost exactly half my life – and getting to represent Glasgow Southside, the best constituency in Scotland, has been an honour beyond words.

“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.”

She thanked her constituents, past and present, for the trust they have placed in her, and said that being their MSP has been a privilege.

Sturgeon added that whoever follows in her footsteps will have her “full support” and she looks forward to campaigning alongside her successor to “ensure that Glasgow Southside remains a SNP held constituency”.

“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,” she said.

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“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.”

Sturgeon is one of many senior Scottish politicians retiring from Holyrood next year.

Former first minister Humza Yousaf; Scotland’s transport secretary Fiona Hyslop; former deputy first minister and finance secretary Shona Robison; and 19 other MSPs – including politicians from Labour and Conservative parties will also step down ahead of the 2026 elections.

Operation Branchform

A police officer stands on duty outside the home of Peter Murrell, former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP), and his wife, Scotland's former First Minister and former leader of the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon, in Glasgow on April 6, 2023. — A police officer stands on duty outside the home of Peter Murrell, former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP), and his wife, Scotland’s former First Minister and former leader of the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon, in Glasgow on April 6, 2023. Getty Images

Operation Branchform has been ongoing since 2021 and is investigating what happened to around £600,000 raised by the party for independence campaigning.

Sturgeon and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie were questioned as part of the investigation in June 2023 but were not charged.

A Freedom of Information request published in November confirmed that 11 police officers are currently allocated to the investigation.

The former first minster said she knew “nothing more” about the police investigation when asked in December.

A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “It would not be appropriate to comment in detail on steps taken by the Crown during an investigation.

“Court actions must be registered in the name of the Lord Advocate and that reflects a constitutional position and not personal involvement.

“The investigation into SNP finances is being handled by professional prosecutors from COPFS and independent counsel without the involvement of the Lord Advocate or Solicitor General.”

Tributes and reactions

Scotland’s current First Minister John Swinney has led tributes to Sturgeon.

He said she’s made an “extraordinary contribution to the work of the Scottish Parliament” and to the Scottish Government.

“I want to express my thanks and appreciation to Nicola for all of the contributions that she has made to the work of Parliament and government, and I’m certain she will continue to do so in the years to come, in different ways to contribute to the public life of Scotland,” he said.

“She’s got so many different policy achievements to be proud of in changing the lives of people in Scotland for the better. And I wish her well for the future.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also paid tribute to the former leader: “Nicola Sturgeon has been a leading figure in Scottish politics for 20 years, but I have known her in local politics in Glasgow for almost 30 years.

“This is a significant announcement that marks the end of an era in Scottish politics.

“Whilst I have many disagreements with her, I never doubted her passion for Glasgow and Scotland. I wish her well for the future.”

Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater – who served as a junior minister in the Scottish government under Sturgeon – said that her “time leading Scotland is certainly one that she can be proud of”.

She said Sturgeon’s leadership during the Covid pandemic and throughout Brexit would “inspire generations of young women”.

Speaking about herself and fellow Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie, Slater added: “Patrick and I had the privilege of serving in government alongside Nicola. It was the first time anywhere in the UK that Greens had been in a government role, and we are proud of the change we delivered.”

She added: “The Scottish Green MSPs wish her all the best with whatever she decides to do next and thank her for years of co-operation, camaraderie and friendly debate.”

However, Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said that while her party would “wish any departing MSP well”, they could “not forget the deep divisions in our country that Nicola Sturgeon created, fostered and encouraged”.

Hitting out at the former first minster, Hamilton said: “By any objective analysis, her record as First Minister is one of failure.

Hamilton criticised Scottish education standards, the poverty-related attainment gap, and accused Sturgeon of presiding over a drugs-death emergency, a ferries scandal, a crisis in our NHS, crumbling roads while ” raising taxes on hard-working Scots”.

“Her reckless gender self-ID policy betrayed women, her soft-touch approach to justice betrayed victims and her shameful deletion of Covid WhatsApp messages denied bereaved families answers and highlighted the secrecy and cynicism that characterised her government.”