Nicola Sturgeon is the SNP’s biggest liability

A year ago today, Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation as SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland. The consensus was that her departure from the political frontline would be a blow to both her party and the wider Scottish independence movement. After almost nine years as First Minister, Sturgeon left office as a dominant figure in Scottish politics, with positive approval ratings and revered by her followers and respected by opponents as a significant talent. Of course her sudden resignation was going to have repercussions. But nobody could have predicted just how chaotic things would become. 

Twelve months after Sturgeon’s announcement sent shockwaves through the British political establishment, support for the SNP continues to fall. Scottish Labour, so recently written off as a spent force, is on the up. Polling of Westminster voting intention now shows the party neck and neck with the nationalists. Meanwhile Sturgeon’s successor as party leader and First Minister Humza Yousaf is struggling to stamp his authority on a fractured SNP.