13 hours Ago
FORMER SCOTTISH FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon is retiring from politics in favour of exploring “different opportunities in a new chapter” of life. The MSP for Glasgow Southside took to Instagram to say that it was “far from easy” to make the decision not to seek re-election next year. Sturgeon has been a member of the Scottish parliament since its establishment in 1999, spending almost half her life in politics.
The 54-year-old was leader of the Scottish National Party from 2014 to 2023. In June 2023, she was arrested in connection with the inquiry into the party’s finances, but was released without charge. Police were investigating how more than £600,000 in donations to the party earmarked for an independence referendum were used.
Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, the SNP’s former chief executive, was charged in connection with the embezzlement. Earlier this year, Sturgeon announced that they had ended their marriage. Announcing her retirement today, Sturgeon said she feels a “mixture of sorrow and anticipation”.
“I joined the SNP in 1986 because I wanted to play my part in building a fair and prosperous Scotland and I have dedicated my life to that task ever since. “I believed then that winning our country’s independence was essential to Scotland reaching her full potential, and I still do.” She said she hopes to contribute to that effort in other ways now.
This summer, she is to release a memoir about her life and work..
