As one of the most prominent Scottish leaders campaigning for Scotland's independence, the 53-year-old said that now felt like the right time for her to take a step back after eight years of leading the SNP. 

Sturgeon described it as "the very best job in the world" but one that had also taken its toll. 

"In my head and in my heart I know that time is now, that it is right for me and my party and for the country," Sturgeon told reporters. 

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanked her for her "long-standing service" to the country, with many other leaders echoing a similar sentiment. 

The longest-serving and first woman First Minister of Scotland insisted her decision was not the result of "short-term pressures", with reference to some ongoing divisions within the SNP about the issue of transgender rights. 

Instead, she said her decision to make way for a new leader frees the SNP to choose the path it believes to be the right one when it comes to Scottish independence, which is due to be discussed at a special conference next month. 

She added: "I am not expecting violins here, but I am a human being as well as a politician. Giving absolutely everything of yourself to this job is the only way to do it. The country deserves nothing less". -- PTI