Good morning. After many years in which the Scottish National party’s supremacy seemed impregnable, Scottish politics is suddenly in a period of tumult. Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement of her resignation as first minister on Wednesday signalled the departure of a leader viewed by some as the most important figure of the devolution era – and with no clear frontrunner to succeed her, nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen next.
Already, things are shifting. This morning, the Guardian reports that senior SNP leaders believe Sturgeon’s exit could delay their effort to stage another independence referendum by at least five years. Angus Robertson, the bookmakers’ favourite to replace her, is expected to announce his candidacy on Friday, with others not far behind. Meanwhile, Labour’s Scottish conference begins today – and Keir Starmer and Scottish leader Anas Sarwar are rewriting their speeches in a hurry.
