Scotland's Future - The Impact of Nicola Sturgeon's Resignation

The very unexpected news yesterday that the Scottish National Party Leader Nicola Sturgeon has decided to stand down as leader of her party has very much shaken the political establishment – both in Scotland of course, but also across the rest of the United Kingdom too.

There has not been a contested leadership election for the SNP since 2004 and there is no natural successor to her as leader.

Having spent her whole leadership with one main aim – Scottish independence, I am not sure a new and untested leader could go into the next General Election asking for a mandate on independence as Sturgeon has suggested she would have.

I have been looking at the polling going on right now for our weekly Techne tracker and it seems there are already signs of a drop in SNP support with a move to voters in Scotland being uncertain. It remains to be seen what happens next – we will be watching closely.

Further to this, it seems clear to me that Nicola Sturgeon stepping down really opens up huge opportunities for other political parties – particularly Labour.

They, of course, have been looking to regain support in Scotland, and whether that happens will have a huge impact for the whole United Kingdom – both in terms of support for the Union and at the next Westminster General Election.

A new phase in politics is certainly beginning in Scotland – and its impact will be felt far beyond for many years to come.

This analysis comes from Michela Morizzo, Chief Executive of Techne UK. It was initially posted on Techne's website, more can be found here.