Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced today, (Wednesday 15 February), that she intends to resign after eight years in her post.
Sturgeon’s resignation came as a complete surprise to many - even those within her own party - but she joins other political leaders from across the UK who have quit their jobs over the last seven decades.
The last year especially has been a time of unprecedented political upheaval in the UK, with the country going through three Prime Ministers in a matter of months.
We take a look at political leaders who have stepped down, and their resignation speeches, in the gallery below.
9. Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson resigned as the Prime Minister on 7 July 2022 after months of scandal. Johnson, who had been PM since 2019, said that he would step aside after more than 50 of his own MPs resigned from their posts because they had lost confidence in his leadership. In a statement outside Number 10 Downing Street, he said: "It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister.” | Getty Images
10. Liz truss
Johnson’s successor was Liz Truss, but she had the shortest term in office in British history - just 45 days. She took up the role on 6 September 2022 but announced she was going to resign on 20 October 2022. This came after a tumultuous time during which her mini budget sent economic markets into a panic and caused financial troubles for people across the country. Speaking outside Number 10 on this day, she said: “We set out a vision for a low tax, high growth economy – that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit. “I recognise though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.” | Getty Images
11. Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Sturgeon revealed that she would step down as Scotland’s First Minister, adding that she would remain in office until her successor was elected in a speech on 15 February 2023. During a press conference at her official residence Bute House in Edinburgh, she said she knew in her heart that the time had come to step aside. She said: “A first minister is never off duty. In this day and age, there is virtually no privacy. Even ordinary stuff that most people take for granted like going for a coffee with friends or for a walk on your own, becomes very difficult. The nature and form of modern political discourse meant there was a much greater intensity, dare I say it, brutality, to life as a politician than in years gone by. It takes its toll on you, and on those around you.” | POOL/AFP via Getty Images