Nicola Sturgeon says time is right to resign as Scotland's first minister

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that she is resigning as Scotland's first minister after more than eight years in the role.

The Scottish National Party leader said that she knew "in my head and in my heart" that this was the right time to step down.

She made the announcement at a hastily-arranged news conference in Edinburgh.

The first minister said she would remain in office until her successor was elected.

Ms Sturgeon is the longest-serving first minister and the first woman to hold the position.

She said serving in the role had been "a privilege beyond measure".

But she added: "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.

"And when that time came, to have the courage to do so, even if to many across the country, and in my party, might feel it too soon.

"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.

"And so today I am announcing my intention to step down as first minister and leader of my party."

That Nicola Sturgeon's resignation has come today is, clearly, a surprise to just about everyone in Scottish politics.

But listening to her actually announce it, it is clear this was not a decision she came to overnight.

This Bute House speech was not drafted at the last minute. She was not up all night writing it.

There were deep thoughts in there about personal leadership and the wider state of politics which Ms Sturgeon has clearly been kicking around in her head for months.

Ms Sturgeon said her decision was not a reaction to short-term pressures, but came from "a deeper and longer-term assessment".

The first minister said she had been wrestling with the decision for some weeks.

She said there were two questions - 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.

"Given the nature and scale of the challenges the country faces, I feel that duty, first and foremost, to our country - to ensure that it does have the energy of leadership it needs, not just today, but through the years that remain of this parliamentary term," she said.

"We are at a critical moment. The blocking of a referendum as the accepted, constitutional route to independence is a democratic outrage.

"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."

She said that support for independence needed to be "solidified" and to grow further.

"To achieve that we need to reach across the divide in Scottish politics, and my judgement now is that this needs a new leader," she said.

Ms Sturgeon said she was "not leaving politics" and would continue to fight for Scottish independence.

Former SNP MP Stephen Gethins said Ms Sturgeon had "led with distinction" and that he was "surprised... and disappointed" by the news.

SNP MP Stewart McDonald described the first minister as "the finest public servant of the devolution age".

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

To many, Nicola Sturgeon has become the face of Scottish independence in her time as first minister.

But in truth, it's far from clear if and when another referendum will happen.

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

But it is controversial. Some senior figures accept it won't work - others have accused Sturgeon of waiting too long to push that case.

But might the departure of the party leader mean a rethink on independence strategy?

Possibly. It'll certainly be a key question for whoever wants to be the next SNP leader.

She has been first minister since November 2014, when she took over from Alex Salmond after the defeat in the independence referendum.

Ms Sturgeon has led the SNP to a series of election victories at UK, Scottish and local level.

Last year the UK Supreme Court ruled that Holyrood did not have the power to stage another independence referendum - a move which has been blocked by the UK government

Ms Sturgeon wants the SNP to fight the next general election as a de facto referendum, but there has been some opposition to the plan within the SNP.

In addition, recent months have seen controversies over gender reforms, which have been blocked by the UK government.