A quick guide to the resignation

Nicola Sturgeon, the well-known person of Scotland's authorities and a champion of her country's independency movement, says she's stepping down. If you're not up to velocity oregon don't travel politics, here's what you request to cognize astir her.

"I'm not expecting violins here, but I americium a quality being arsenic good arsenic a politician," she said astatine a large property conference. "These jobs are a privilege, but they are besides rightly hard." She said it had thing to bash with her existent governmental woes, but the brutality of modern authorities "takes its toll" connected politicians and those astir them.

Recently, she's been pushing for betterment of sex designation laws - but that's proved controversial. She's besides been embroiled successful respective high-profile rows, specified arsenic whether a rapist should spell to a men's oregon women's prison, and uncertainty astir the run for Scottish independency from the UK - 1 of the things she's been champion known for.

Ms Sturgeon is the longest-serving First Minister (or person of the Scottish government). She took implicit the Scottish National Party (the main pro-independence party) aft Scotland voted against independency successful 2014 - and has been successful complaint ever since.

The sex designation row, on with mounting governmental problems similar healthcare and rising prices, person deed her popularity hard. Polling adept Prof Sir John Curtice from Strathclyde University told the BBC she is "far and distant the astir fashionable leader" successful Scotland, though her popularity is arsenic debased arsenic it has been portion she's had the job.

Ms Sturgeon wanted to clasp different ballot this year, but the UK Supreme Court said Scotland couldn't bash this without the support of the UK government, which it wasn't going to give. Undeterred, she said the SNP would dainty the adjacent wide predetermination - wherever the UK chooses who runs the state - arsenic if it is simply a ballot astir independence. But there's nary motion Westminster would judge that argument.

Ms Sturgeon has a instrumentality grade and worked arsenic a solicitor. But she has been subordinate of the SNP since she was conscionable 16 - and became a subordinate of the Scottish parliament 13 years later. She says she'll enactment successful authorities adjacent if she's stepping down from the apical job.

Ms Sturgeon's announcement came arsenic a astonishment to galore connected a Wednesday greeting - and there's nary wide successor lined up. So she's said she'll stay successful bureau until a replacement is elected by her party.