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		</div><p>Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish Government and a staunch supporter of the Scottish Independence movement announces today that she will step down after eight years of rule. </p>
<p>She is the first woman to serve in the position and also the longest-serving First of Scotland. Ms Sturgeon said she would remain in office until her successor was elected.</p>
<p>Ms Sturgeon insisted her resignation was not in response to the &#8220;latest period of pressure&#8221;, which has included controversies over gender reforms, trans prisoners and the push for the Scottish Independence.</p>
<p>The Scottish National Party leader said she knew &#8220;in my head and in my heart&#8221; this was the right time to step down. She acknowledged there had been &#8220;choppy waters&#8221;, but said her decision had come from &#8220;a deeper and longer-term assessment&#8221;.</p>
<p>&#8220;Since the very first moment in the job, I have believed that part of serving well would be to know, almost instinctively, when the time is right to make way for someone else,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>&#8220;And when that time came, to have the courage to do so, even if many across the country, and in my party, might feel it too soon.</p>
<p>&#8220;In my head and in my heart I know that time is now. That it is right for me, for my party and for the country.<br />
&#8220;And so today I am announcing my intention to step down as first minister and leader of my party.&#8221;</p>
<p>Ms Sturgeon said she had been struggling with conflicting emotions since around the turn of the year.</p>
<p>&#8220;I get up in the morning and I tell myself, and usually I convince myself, that I&#8217;ve got what it takes to keep going and keep going and keep going,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>&#8220;But then I realise that that&#8217;s maybe not as true.&#8221;</p>
<p>She said there were two questions &#8211; whether carrying on was right for her, and whether it was right for country, her party and the cause of independence. Ms Sturgeon said the answer to both questions was no.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are at a critical moment,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The blocking of a referendum as the accepted, constitutional route to independence is a democratic outrage.</p>
<p>&#8220;But it puts the onus on us to decide how Scottish democracy will be protected and to ensure that the will of the Scottish people prevails.&#8221;</p>
<p>She said that support for independence needed to be &#8220;solidified&#8221; and to grow further.<br />
&#8220;To achieve that we need to reach across the divide in Scottish politics, and my judgement now is that this needs a new leader,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>Names to have been suggested as potential candidates include John Swinney, Kate Forbes and Angus Robertson.<br />
Ms Sturgeon said she was &#8220;not leaving politics&#8221; and would continue to fight for Scottish independence.</p>
<p>She added that the intensity and &#8220;brutality&#8221; of life as a politician had taken its toll on her, and those around her.<br />
The first minister said leading the country through the Covid pandemic had been &#8220;by far the toughest thing I&#8217;ve done&#8221; and that she had only recently started to comprehend its physical and mental impact.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanked Ms Sturgeon &#8220;for her long-standing service&#8221;.</p>
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