Nicola Sturgeon sends resignation letter to the King and bids farewell to Bute ... trends now
An emotional Nicola Sturgeon drew a line under her time as Scottish First Minister today as she hands over to Humza Yousaf.
The former SNP leader walked out of the Bute House residence in Edinburgh for the last time this afternoon - after saying she is looking forward to having a lie-in.
In her final acts in charge, Ms Sturgeon sent a resignation letter to King Charles saying it had been a 'pleasure' to serve.
She walked down the stairs, where a nail has already been installed ready to hang a picture of Mr Yousaf, and bade farewell to staff.
Her departure will take effect when a vote at Holyrood confirms Mr Humza as the next First Minister - even though he will not be sworn in until tomorrow.
In her final acts in charge, Nicola Sturgeon sent a resignation letter to King Charles saying it had been a 'pleasure' to serve
Ms Sturgeon's departure will take effect when a vote at Holyrood confirms as the next First Minister - even though he will not be sworn in until tomorrow
She walked down the stairs, where a nail has already been installed ready to hang a picture of Mr Yousaf, and bade farewell to staff
Ms Sturgeon was given a guard of honour by staff as she left Bute House this afternoon
The former SNP leader walked out of the Bute House residence in Edinburgh for the last time this afternoon - after saying she is looking forward to having a lie-in
Mr Yousaf will be confirmed as Scotland's new First Minister today after scraping home in the SNP leadership battle yesterday (pictured)
Nicola Sturgeon tweeted to say she had officially tendered her resignation to the King
In her letter to the King, Ms Sturgeon wrote: 'I should wish to reiterate that it has been my pleasure to serve Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Queen and the people of Scotland as First Minister since November 2014.'
In a separate statement released, Ms Sturgeon added that being first minister was 'the privilege of a lifetime', adding: 'As the first woman to hold this office, I am proud to demit it knowing that no girl in our country is in any doubt that a woman can hold the highest office in the land.
'My congratulations go to Humza Yousaf who, subject to parliamentary process and appointment by His Majesty the King, will become the first person from a minority ethnic background to lead our country as its First Minister – and in doing so will reiterate the powerful message that it is a role that any young person in Scotland can aspire to.'
However, Mr Yousaf faces a mammoth task to revive the separatists' ailing fortunes after an extraordinary meltdown over the abortive bid to loosen gender ID rules, and with support for independence well under 50 per cent.
