The former First Minister had been widely expected to stand down after a spectacular fall from grace in the past few years.

First elected in 1999, she led the SNP from 2014 until 2023. Most recently, she has been linked to Operation Branchform, an ongoing police probe into SNP finances.

Ms Sturgeon, who represents Glasgow Southside, becomes the 19th SNP MSP to confirm they would not stand next year as the party faces a massive overhaul.

During her tenure, she enjoyed slavish devotion from supporters but failed in many of her key goals.

Reacting to the news, Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said Scots "cannot forget the deep divisions in our country that Nicola Sturgeon created, fostered and encouraged," when analysing her political career.

She added: "By any objective analysis, her record as First Minister is one of failure.

"Scottish education standards collapsed on her watch and the poverty-related attainment gap, which she promised to eradicate, widened. She presided over a drugs-death emergency, a ferries scandal, a crisis in our NHS, crumbling roads and all while raising taxes on hard-working Scots, which stifled economic growth.

"Her reckless gender self-ID policy betrayed women, her soft-touch approach to justice betrayed victims and her shameful deletion of Covid WhatsApp messages denied bereaved families answers and highlighted the secrecy and cynicism that characterised her government."

Ms Hamilton concluded: "Nicola Sturgeon has been the most divisive Scottish politician of the devolution era." Alastair Cameron, chair of Scotland in Union, said: "Like all SNP First Ministers, Nicola Sturgeon's obsession with independence ruined relationships, damaged the economy and led to the neglect of all devolved policy areas.