Scotland's Sturgeon quits, says she is too divisive to win independence

Nicola Sturgeon quit as Scottish first minister on Wednesday, saying her dominance over her party and the country was no longer the asset it once was in the fight for an independent Scotland.

The 52-year-old, who has been first minister since 2014, also said she would stand down as leader of the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP), saying a fresh face would have a better chance of reaching across the political divide, and that she had become too divisive - and too tired - to lead that fight any more.

She will stay in place until a successor is found.

Sturgeon became SNP leader in the wake of a 2014 independence referendum when Scotland voted 55% to 45% to remain part of the United Kingdom.

But in recent months she has been outmanoeuvred by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government in London over attempts to hold a second referendum and she has been embroiled in a row over transgender rights.

Sturgeon told a news conference in Edinburgh that while she believed there was majority support for independence in Scotland, the SNP needed to solidify and grow that support.