Holyrood shock: Sturgeon has announced that she will not run for re-election in 2026
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 quit her post 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.
By Bill Heaney
Feisty 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.
Sturgeon 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.
She was seldom seen in West Dunbartonshire during her time in office when she was promoted to the post of Health Secretary by Alex Salmond, but did not succeed with the Save the Vale campaign to the extent the electorate here would have wished.
Vale of Leven Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, the Royal Hospital for Children and the Royal Alexandra Infirmary.
Voters continue to complain that the status of Vale of Leven Hospital has been downgraded and never been given the proper status of District General Hospital.
And that it no longer has its own Accident and Emergency Unit, which means that patients requiring emergency treatment have to travel to the RAH in Paisley.
Sturgeon also had a hand in planning the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Royal Children’s Hospital which have seldom beeon out of the public eye – for all the wrong reasons – since it was opened.
She spent almost a decade as Scotland’s first minister and can be credited as the first national poloitician to use the “selfie” as an election tool, having her photograph taken with members of the public She became known by the media and by colleagues as a difficult woman to deal with and created Secret Scotland, keeping a close circle of confidants, before leaving office under a cloud in 2023 after nine years in the top job.
Nicola Sturgeon has announced she is quitting.
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.
“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.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.
“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.”
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton, right, said: “We wish any departing MSP well, regardless of their party or politics. But we cannot forget the deep divisions in our country that Nicola Sturgeon created, fostered and encouraged.
“By any objective analysis, her record as First Minister is one of failure. Scottish education standards collapsed on her watch and the poverty-related attainment gap, which she promised to eradicate, widened.
“She presided over a drugs-death emergency, a ferries scandal, a crisis in our NHS, crumbling roads – and all while raising taxes on hard-working Scots, which stifled economic growth.
“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.”
Responding to the announcement that Nicola Sturgeon will stand down as an MSP, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, pictured left, said: “Whatever you think of her legacy, Nicola Sturgeon’s impact on Scottish politics has been undeniable.
“The SNP have been in power for too long, and the departure of another big figure is further proof of their decline.
“For so many people across Scotland, it feels like nothing works anymore. Next year, they will have a chance to draw a line under SNP division and neglect. At the 2026 election, Scottish Liberal Democrats will be focused on standing up for faster access to local healthcare, lifting up education and giving our economy the attention it deserves.”