Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced her intention to step down on Wednesday, saying part of serving in politics is knowing when it’s time to make way for someone else.
Speaking at a press conference at her official Edinburgh residence, Bute House, Sturgeon said she struggled with the decision but that the pressure of work was relentless and that she is a human being as well as a politician.
Sturgeon, who led the country’s devolved government and the Scottish National Party for eight years, has faced months of controversy over a law that makes it easier for people to change their gender on official documents, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
The decision took political observers by surprise, despite the ongoing controversy over the extent of gender recognition. He had promised to take the British government to court over its decision to block the law and argued that the UK’s Conservative government was making a “profound mistake” by vetoing the gender recognition reform bill.
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Nicola Sturgeon speaks during a press conference at Bute House, Edinburgh on Wednesday 15th February 2023. (Photo by Jane Barlow/Pool via AP)
Hailed as a milestone by transgender rights campaigners, the bill would allow people aged 16 and over in Scotland to change the gender designation on their identity documents by self-declaration, removing the need for a diagnosis gender dysphoria medicine.
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Nicola Sturgeon speaks during a press conference at Bute House, Edinburgh on Wednesday 15th February 2023. (Photo by Jane Barlow/Pool via AP)
The legislation distinguishes Scotland from the rest of the UK, where a medical diagnosis is required before people can transition for legal purposes.
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SNP Leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon delivers a statement at the Apex Grassmarket Hotel, Edinburgh, Wednesday 23 November 2022. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
But the fit was only one controversy in a career in which Sturgeon was noted for rarely getting a foot wrong.
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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon waits for the start of First Minister’s Questions in the Scottish Parliament, January 26, 2023, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Ken Jack/Getty Images)
She had been lauded for her response to, for example, the COVID-19 pandemic, where she won praise for her sober and forthright skills.
This catapulted the idea of Scottish independence from the United Kingdom – the long-held dream of Sturgeon’s Nationalist government – into support of the political agenda.
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Scotland is part of the United Kingdom but, like Wales and Northern Ireland, has its own semi-autonomous government with broad powers over areas including healthcare.
