Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon appears to be stepping down. The broadcasters BBC and Sky News reported this on Wednesday based on government sources.
The official announcement will be made later today at a press conference in Edinburgh, the BBC said. Sturgeon, who is also the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has been Prime Minister since 2014.
Independence referendum failed
Since Brexit, the head of government had not only openly flirted with the independence of the Scots. Most recently, she wanted to hold an independence referendum last year, but failed before the Supreme Court. The court unanimously ruled that the Sturgeon government had no authority to hold a second independence referendum. It is only eight years since the majority of Scots voted to stay with Britain, but the vote had recently moved in the opposite direction due to Brexit.
Debate on gender legislation
Scotland’s recently passed gender law had also caused a stir in London, and the Conservative British government had announced its intention to block the law. The amendment is intended to remove the requirement of a medical report as a condition for changing the gender entry. The minimum age for an application should be lowered from 18 to 16 years. The time a trans person must have lived in their new gender role may be only three months instead of two years. Transgender people are people who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth.
The Scottish regional parliament voted in favor of the law in December. Critics such as Harry Potter author JK Rowling fear that men could use the rules to enter areas reserved for women, such as changing rooms and toilets. Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon had warned London of a blockade. The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) accused the central government of using transgender people as a “political weapon”. The conflict is likely to increase tensions between London and Edinburgh.
Whether these developments ultimately led to Sturgeon’s withdrawal, the prime minister will announce during lunch. The press conference is scheduled for 12 noon.
Source: Krone
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