Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon is reportedly planning a surprise exit from office. The 52-year-old wants to resign after more than eight years as both party leader and “First Minister”, British media reports unanimously, citing government sources. She wanted to comment on further details at a press conference in Edinburgh on Wednesday. It’s still unclear when Sturgeon will step down. The 52-year-old belongs to the Scottish National Party (SNP). She has been First Minister since 2014, making her the longest-serving head of government in Scotland.
Sturgeon has long sought Scottish independence from the UK. After a majority of Scots voted to remain in 2014, Sturgeon attempted to initiate another vote in the wake of Brexit. Despite rejection by the British government, in June 2022 she presented her plans for a second referendum to be held in October 2023.
In recent months, however, Sturgeon has taken a serious hit. The Supreme Court of Great Britain put a stop to Scottish independence efforts in November. The judges ruled that another Scottish referendum on secession from the UK against the wishes of the British government would not be allowed. Sturgeon said at the time she was disappointed with the decision but accepted it. Independence must be achieved through legal and democratic means.
In addition, the dispute over a controversial gender law has recently weighed on the Scottish government. Among other things, the law, which the Scottish Parliament voted for last year, is intended to eliminate the requirement for a medical report as a prerequisite for changing the gender entry. The minimum age for an application should be lowered from 18 to 16 years. Trans people are people who do not feel they belong to the gender they were assigned at birth.
There was a lot of criticism of the decision, one of the most prominent voices being the “Harry Potter” author Joanne K. Rowling. She and her colleagues fear that men could take advantage of the simplified regulations to enter areas reserved for women, such as women’s changing rooms or toilets, for sexual motives. Supporters, on the other hand, see the law as a long-overdue reform that could make life easier for trans people and enable them to live self-determined lives.