 Official portrait, 2014 | |
| Premiership of Nicola Sturgeon 20 November 2014 – 28 March 2023 | |
| Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
|---|---|
| Cabinet | First Sturgeon government Second Sturgeon government Third Sturgeon government |
| Party | Scottish National Party |
| Election | |
| Seat | Bute House |
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Nicola Sturgeon's term as first minister of Scotland began on 20 November 2014 when she was formally sworn into office at the Court of Session. It followed Alex Salmond's resignation following the defeat of the Yes campaign in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. She is the first female and longest serving officeholder. Sturgeon's premiership was dominated by Brexit, which she used as an argument to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence, however, opposition from the UK Government, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis and the ruling against her government holding an advisory referendum would be obstacles for Sturgeon securing her legacy of gaining Scottish independence. Sturgeon's term ended on 29 March 2023, following her resignation announcement on 15 February, in which she claimed occupational burnout was the reason for her resignation.
As a result of a majority of Scots voting to remain in the United Kingdom in the 2014 independence referendum, Salmond resigned as first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party. Sturgeon, who had served in his government as deputy first minister, emerged as the only candidate and was elected unopposed. As part of an agreement to introduce more devolved powers if Scotland voted to remain in the UK, the Smith Commission was set up, resulting in the Scotland Act 2016. Substantial control over income tax and limited social security powers were introduced, making Sturgeon the most powerful first minister in devolved history. She led the SNP through the 2015 general election where it enjoyed a surge in support, winning all but three of the fifty-nine seats in Scotland. The party replaced the Liberal Democrats as the third largest party in the House of Commons.
Despite losing her majority in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Sturgeon formed a minority government, securing a second term in office. In the 2016 European Union membership referendum a majority of people in Britain voted to leave the EU, despite a majority in Scotland voting to remain. In response, Sturgeon made calls for a Section 30 order, the transfer of power to hold a second referendum, which have been rejected by prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak. Plans for a second referendum came to a halt in early 2020 amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sturgeon led the Scottish Government's response, implementing a series of lockdowns, restricting large aspects of social interactions and oversaw the rollout of the vaccine programme. Shortly afterwards, opposition parties held a motion of no confidence against Sturgeon after a parliamentary committee concluded she had breached ministerial code during the Alex Salmond scandal. The vote did not pass and Sturgeon was cleared of breaching the ministerial code by the independent barrister James Hamilton.
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Sturgeon led the SNP to a fourth consecutive win, securing a third term in the Scottish Parliament in the 2021 election. The SNP fell a seat short of a majority and later announced a partnership agreement, known as the Bute House agreement, with the Scottish Greens, which created a pro-independence majority at Holyrood. Sturgeon renewed attempts to hold a second referendum, with a plan to hold a referendum on 19 October 2023; however, the UK Supreme Court ruled against it; as a result, Sturgeon intended to make the next UK general election a de facto independence referendum. Sturgeon became the first first minister in history to attend the accession council of a new monarch following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Her government introduced the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which sought to amend the Gender Recognition Act of the UK Parliament, allowing 16-year-olds to change gender and making it simpler for people to change their legal gender. The bill caused internal divisions within the SNP as she faced the biggest backbench revolt since her party entered office in 2007. The bill passed with the a majority support of the parliament, but the UK Government invoked section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 to block the bill from receiving royal assent, the first time section 35 had been used.