Because of Her Extremist Policies, This Is How Sturgeon's Resignation Left Scotland at a Crossroads

Following in the footsteps of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently announced her resignation, opening the door to speculation about the fate of the demands for independence from the UK, which intensified after Brexit.

Sturgeon has faced increasing pressure in the past weeks against the backdrop of her support for a bill facilitating gender transition, which has sparked widespread controversy and opposition even among members of her own party.

Since assuming the leadership of the Scottish government eight years ago, Sturgeon has made the independence of Scotland the battle of her life, which she fought persistently without being able to overcome London’s opposition, to finally decide to abandon it and leave.

The decision to resign comes after an unusually turbulent time for Sturgeon, who leaves her party and the independence campaign, which are searching for a new figure without a clear roadmap.

In addition to Sturgeon’s declining popularity in recent months, a Panelbase poll this week found that 42% of respondents now believe she should step down.

Scotland is part of the UK, but like Wales and Northern Ireland, it has its own semi-autonomous government with wide powers in areas including healthcare.

 

Sudden Resignation

In a surprising move that resonates within the corridors of British politics, Nicola Sturgeon announced on February 15, 2023, her resignation from the premiership and the presidency of the Scottish National Party (SNP).

On this, the Financial Times said that Sturgeon’s resignation left Scotland at a crossroads, noting that its extremist policies aimed at the independence of Scotland had caused criticism and reactions, while Sturgeon’s gender recognition reform bill sparked widespread controversy, both of which put severe pressure on her in the recent period.

Sturgeon, 52, who became the first woman to lead Scotland when she took power in 2014, said she would stay on as head of government until the SNP elects her successor. She also pledged to continue the struggle for the independence of Scotland.

Last January, after the sudden resignation of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Sturgeon said that she was still full of energy and that she did not feel close to the time when she should leave.

With her leaving office before the next election, independence supporters have warned that efforts to organize a new referendum will fade, especially after the High Court required Edinburgh to obtain prior approval from the British government.

This also comes as Sturgeon refused to declare support for any potential successor at a time when no personality appears clearly among the names proposed in this field, such as her deputy, John Swinney, who enjoys broad support within the party, the veteran Scottish politician who led the party’s Westminster caucus, Angus Robertson, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, and MP Joanna Cherry, who led the party’s opposition to Sturgeon’s stance on transgender rights.

It is noteworthy that Sturgeon had led her party in a series of electoral victories, including three legislative elections, and her policies were widely popular among Scottish voters.

However, she failed to achieve a number of its political promises, most notably reducing the gap between students from the working and affluent social classes, alleviating the cost of living crisis, and reforming the health system affected by the Corona pandemic.

Born in the industrial town of Irvine, southwest of Glasgow, Sturgeon joined the SNP when she was 16. Her husband, Peter Morel, is the party’s CEO.

She has been a member of the Scottish Parliament since 1999 and became deputy leader of the SNP in 2004.

She took over the leadership of the SNP and the Scottish government after her predecessor, Alex Salmond, resigned in November 2014 following a defeat in the secession referendum.

 

British Pressure

Sturgeon, who has been calling for Scottish independence since the 1980s, took advantage of the Conservatives’ decline in popularity to advance the cause, and stuck to demands for a new referendum despite 55% of voters rejecting secession from the UK in 2014.

Sturgeon believes that Brexit revealed a fundamental discrepancy between London and Edinburgh, as 62% of Scots voted in favor of remaining in the EU.

She campaigned to organize a new vote in this direction. In recent years, volatile opinion polls in Scotland have regularly tilted yes to independence.

However, the British government is still strongly opposed to the matter, which was finally confirmed by the Supreme Court and ruled that Edinburgh does not have the authority to hold another referendum on independence, leaving the referendum project in a deadlock.

On his part, Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack called on Edinburgh to take advantage of Sturgeon’s departure to abandon its obsession with independence, which is a source of division.

During her time in power, Nicola Sturgeon managed to achieve electoral successes, and again in May 2021, she won a pro-independence majority in the local parliament with the Green Party.

But its electoral strategy of turning the legislative elections scheduled to take place in less than two years into a de facto referendum on secession was not very favored by the electorate.

The SNP is due to hold a special conference in March to discuss whether the next general election should be used as a de facto referendum.

Sturgeon’s resignation comes just weeks after the UK government blocked legislation first passed by the Scottish parliament, rejecting a controversial gender recognition bill put forward by the legislature.

Although Sturgeon confirmed that she had not made her decision due to recent pressures, she was personally weakened by the adoption of a bill in December 2022 that facilitates gender transition and allows it, starting at the age of 16 without medical advice.

The Scottish measure had drawn criticism from women’s groups, including best-selling Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling who lives in Scotland.

Critics of the law believe sexual harassers can use the bill to gain access to women’s spaces.

Immediately after the vote on the bill, a scandal was revealed that reinforces these criticisms.

As a transgender woman was convicted of raping women before her transition, and she was placed in a women’s prison, which sparked strong reactions until she was eventually transferred to a men’s prison.

 

Setback or Victory?

Most of the British headlines dealt with the news of the resignation of the first minister in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, which shocked supporters of secession in Scotland.

The i newspaper published an article revealing the divisions within the SNP, which contributed to the resignation of party leader Nicola Sturgeon.

Meanwhile, the Guardian indicated that Sturgeon’s sudden resignation this week could delay another referendum on Scottish independence by at least five years.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Sturgeon’s extreme approach to the transgender issue cost her the support of her party.

On its part, the Daily Mail said Sturgeon’s decision regarding transgender laws plunged Scotland into a sea of chaos.

On the other hand, the Scottish Herald newspaper reported on the Prime Minister’s resignation letter, and one of the newspaper’s editors said that Sturgeon’s resignation was a shock to the political world inside and outside Britain.

In turn, the Times considered Sturgeon’s resignation a major victory for supporters of Scotland’s unity with the rest of the UK, noting that it was at the same time a real setback for supporters of independence.

Away from Scotland, Sturgeon’s departure and tough days for the SNP could be great news for the Labour Party, which already enjoys a huge lead in the polls ahead of the national election expected next year.

“Sturgeon’s resignation will enhance the Labour Party’s chances of obtaining the most votes at the level of Britain during the next general elections,” the i newspaper said.

It noted that before the SNP became the dominant force in Scottish politics, it was Labour that won the lion’s share of support from Scottish voters in national elections.

“Today, the SNP holds 48 of Scotland’s seats in the UK parliament, and the Labour Party holds just one,” according to the newspaper.

“But the disarray within the SNP following Sturgeon’s exit and a possibly ugly battle to succeed her might give Labour a critical few extra seats in a national vote it’s already favored to win,” the newspaper added.

 

Widespread Controversy

Although the public had been expecting Sturgeon’s resignation in the recent period, the news of the resignation sparked widespread controversy on social media.

The #FirstMinster hashtag has become the most popular Twitter hashtag in the UK.

Opinions differed between those who thanked her for the achievements she made during her term as head of the Scottish government and those who expressed happiness at her resignation.

Sturgeon’s supporters paid their respects and gratitude to her, with one tweeting: “One of the best politicians in all of Britain, not just Scotland.” Another person accused the Tory media of putting pressure on Sturgeon to resign.

“Absolutely devastated,” said Alison Thewlis, an SNP member of parliament, calling Sturgeon a fantastic leader.

Irish politician Michelle O’Neill also posted on her Twitter account her photo with Nicola Sturgeon and praised her performance and struggle for independence and defense of the rights of Scottish citizens.

On the other hand, Sturgeon’s critics expressed their happiness at her resignation.

An activist named Ross McCulloch shared a picture of a black screen that read: “This video does not exist,” and attached a sarcastic sentence: “Nicola Sturgeon releases a video of all of her achievements as First Minister of Scotland!”

Critics of the proposed changes to the Gender Act were also very pleased with Sturgeon’s resignation.

One person tweeted, “Nicola resigns after being unable to distinguish between men and women. Bye!”

As for the broadcaster Dominique Samuels, she expressed her happiness that Sturgeon had resigned from her position, and considered that her policy regarding gender ideology was the reason for her downfall.