As we said earlier, reaction to Nicola Sturgeon's resignation has been coming in throughout the day. Here's the latest selection of your thoughts and comments.

There is now under an hour to go before the SNP's National Executive Committee meet to decide the timetable for selecting Nicola Sturgeon's successor.

It comes after a day of speculation and reaction to the resignation of one of the UK's most prominent modern politicians.

To bring you up to speed, here is what has been happening:

• There have been calls for the party to reconsider its strategy for achieving Scottish independence under a new leader
• The SNP's leader in Westminster Stephen Flynn has called for a conference on independence, scheduled for next month, to be delayed
• Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond called it an "opportunity to reset the independence movement"
• And Sturgeon's party colleague, MSP Christine Grahame, said she thought it was a "spoof" when she first heard about the resignation

Image source, PA Media

Nicola Sturgeon has arrived home in Glasgow after revealing yesterday that she's stepping down as first minster.

She made the announcement at a hastily arranged press conference at Bute House, the first minister's official residence in Edinburgh.

Sturgeon, who has refused to endorse any potential successors, remained tight-lipped as she stepped out of her car dressed in a hoody, jeans and trainers, but smiled and waved at the assembled media.

Labour must give voters in Scotland "a positive reason" to support it rather than considering itself the "default option" after Sturgeon's resignation, a former Labour adviser has said.

John McTernan, who was an adviser to Tony Blair from 2005 to 2007, told BBC News that Sturgeon's departure gave Labour an opportunity to "make the positive case for change".

He said that Labour could benefit from the SNP trying to fight the next election as a de facto referendum, as some in the party have argued they should.

"You're basically saying if Labour are the challenger to the SNP in a seat... you're telling the Lib Dems and the Tories to vote for the Labour Party," he said.

"So you might see some surprise gains for Labour if that carries on as the SNP strategy."

He said that, given Labour's current poll lead across the country, the party would likely be hoping to regain at least a dozen Scottish constituencies at the next election.

Labour has historically dominated in Scotland, but lost almost all its seats at the 2015 election and currently holds only one.

McTernan added that none of Sturgeon's possible replacements were "anything like her stature, which makes it a lot easier for Labour and the Conservative Party in Scotland".

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

It will be interesting to see how the SNP leadership race unfolds as a contest of ideas.

For so long it has been Nicola Sturgeon who has set the direction of government, right down to the tiniest detail.

Now are there ambitious members lurking within the ranks who have harboured radically different policy proposals which they can now build into a platform?

Or is the next leader going to be left working to deliver all of the plans Sturgeon had set out going forward?

The flagship policy for this parliamentary term at Holyrood is the creation of a new National Care Service – and many questions have been raised about its delivery.

Ministers have also been ploughing ahead with plans for a deposit return scheme for bottles and cans.

And there are proposals in the pipeline for criminal justice reform, including the scrapping of the “not proven” verdict in Scotland’s courts.

There are legacy issues from previous years too, with an inquiry into the government’s handling of the Covid pandemic in the offing, as well as the legal dispute over its gender reform legislation.

Even with a new leader in place, the agenda set out by Sturgeon may cast a long shadow over whoever her successor is.

With Nicola Sturgeon's shock resignation still hanging in the air, the SNP must now turn to finding her successor.

Her party's national executive committee will meet tonight at 18:30 GMT to decide on the timetable for the leadership race.

We already know a bit about what the nomination and ballot phase will involve.

The SNP's constitution states that:

• A candidate requires the backing of at least 100 members to be validly nominated
• These nominations must be drawn from at least 20 different SNP branches
• Those seeking nomination will be able to gather those indications of support from members via my.snp.org

All SNP members as of yesterday who still hold a valid membership at the ballot deadline, will be eligible to vote in any ballot.

We've been asking you for your views on Nicola Sturgeon's resignation yesterday.

Here's a look at what some of you think:

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

When Alex Salmond quit after the independence referendum in 2014, there was little doubt about who would succeed him. Nicola Sturgeon was the obvious candidate and in the end secured the job without anyone challenging her for it.

It was a coronation rather than a contest. There hasn’t been a contest for the SNP’s top job for nearly two decades. The expectation is there will be one this time but so far there are no official candidates. There are probably several reasons for that.

Firstly, a sense of dignity. Allowing a little space for reflection on Nicola Sturgeon’s decision and her contribution to Scottish politics. Not being seen as overly eager.

Secondly, practicality. Her resignation has taken potential candidates by surprise. They did not get much warning that Sturgeon was about to quit and building a campaign team and assessing potential support within the party takes time.

Thirdly, Nicola Sturgeon’s political domination. As she herself acknowledged, it is not easy for others to establish themselves when so much political debate is focussed on a single figure.

While the current first minister has promoted younger MSPs into her government and once-upon-a-time named Kate Forbes and Humza Yousaf as potential leaders, succession planning has not been the most obvious feature of her tenure.

Image source, Reuters

In her speech yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon spoke about the "toxicity" which had come into Scottish politics.

Earlier, on BBC Radio Scotland's Lunchtime Live programme, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine said she felt the SNP had "played their part" in creating this, but politicians had to work to get past it.

"I've had abuse in the last 24 hours because I said nice things about Nicola Sturgeon as she was stepping down," she said.

"I recognised her achievement, and the fact she had been first minister for eight years. I was just showing respect and gratitude actually for the way she had led us through the pandemic.

"And I got abuse last night, that's the sort of thing that we have to tackle."

Scottish Conservative MSP Jamie Greene describes Sturgeon as a "Marmite character" in Scotland - "you either love Nicola or you loathe her".

He tells BBC News her resignation came "out of the blue" and he had guessed the hastily arranged press conference on Wednesday was about the on-going teachers' strikes.

"I think this has been a long time coming, even if it came as a surprise when it arrived," he says.

Greene says part of the problem for the first minister was the "number of scandals that the SNP have been mired in", pointing out the ferries scandal, drugs deaths crisis, the NHS and the Salmond inquiry.

"All of which, I'm afraid Nicola Sturgeon was wrapped up in," he adds.

"It really is hard to see what Nicola Sturgeon's legacy is and to find positives.

"It may also come as an upset to Nicola Sturgeon herself because she sought to achieve so much, but the question is, did she?"

Thomas Mackintosh
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

It's been just over 24 hours since Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation as Scottish first minister and leader of the SNP.

Let's have a look at where things are now.

The SNP's National Executive Committee will meet later today at about 18:30 via videolink to decide the timetable for a leadership race to find her replacement.

There are a few politicians being touted as key contenders to replace Sturgeon.

But throughout the day more and more SNP MPs have joined calls to delay the party's independence summit - due to be held next month in Aberdeen.

They argue that they need time to appoint a new leader after Sturgeon's shock resignation yesterday.

Co-leader of the Scottish Green Party Patrick Harvie says Nicola Sturgeon is exiting as first minister with a "degree of dignity that's been pretty rare in British politics".

The Scottish Greens have a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish National Party at Holyrood.

Harvie adds that he is as surprised as everyone else that Sturgeon decided to quit.

"Nobody lasts forever in politics but I think most people expected Nicola Sturgeon to continue as first minister for certainly the immediate future.

"It's pretty rare in UK politics to see a leader step down because they think the time is right rather than because they've been hanging on by their fingernails until they're finally pushed out by their colleagues."

Is Nicola Sturgeon your kind of leader? That's the question put to 5 Live listeners by Nicky Campbell earlier following the first minister's resignation announcement yesterday.

Here's what some people had to say:

Image source, Getty Images

A referendum would still be the best and most democratic route to independence, says MP Richard Thomson.

Nicola Sturgeon's resignation came just a month before an SNP conference intended to address whether the party should fight the next election as a de facto referendum, and has led to renewed discussion about its future direction.

Speaking to BBC News, Thomson says he has "no fears" about fighting an election on the single issue of independence, but that that option would be "not as good as a referendum".

He adds: "Whatever route you take, you want to be in a position where you're not just going to squeak it, but you're actually going to win it and win it convincingly, such that everybody can accept the result."

Thomson also says the coming leadership contest will be a "good opportunity for candidates to set their stalls out" and for a "genuine debate amongst the membership about how they would like to see the party progress".

Chris Mason
Political editor

Scottish politics has, for years now, had an outsized voice in the wider UK political conversation.

The reason is simple: the prospect of Scottish independence.

With the SNP running the Scottish government and holding the vast majority of Scottish seats in Westminster, the question of Scotland's constitutional future has remained live.

For me, the most striking thing about the first minister's announcement is the reaction privately from senior Conservative and Labour figures.

They are delighted.

Does the UK's future, in its current form, feel safer now she is leaving?

"Very much so," a senior Conservative figure tells me.

"When your opponent is a proven winner and they decide to leave, that is good news" said one Labour figure, candidly.

Read Chris Mason's full piece on what Nicola Sturgeon's resignation means for the future of the United Kingdom.

Christine Grahame MSP tells the BBC that when she heard that Nicola Sturgeon was about to resign she thought it was a "spoof."

She says a meeting she was in was interrupted by the news but she just didn't believe it.

"I was absolutely stunned... we didn't see this coming."

Grahame goes on to praise the "huge contribution" that Sturgeon has made as first minister but says she can understand how she has "run out of steam".

She says the Covid crisis took a toll on the SNP leader and says Sturgeon is astute "for choosing her moment to step aside".

Marita Moloney
Live reporter

The big question of the leadership contest is whether any of the potential candidates has the ability to achieve the public recognition and “persuasive power” enjoyed by Nicola Sturgeon, according to polling expert Prof John Curtice.

None of the potential contenders at the moment “have anything like the public recognition” that Sturgeon or her predecessor Alex Salmond had, he says.

He tells the BBC that the SNP don’t just need a first minister who can run a devolved government in Scotland and deal with domestic issues, they also need somebody who can campaign for independence, and in a very different environment in the wake of Brexit.

Image source, .

Kate Forbes, the finance secretary, is considered by certain Holyrood insiders as someone who could possibly achieve this, Curtice says, as evidenced by her “confident and consummate” performances in parliament. But he adds that this is not the same as being able to reach the wider public.

Angus Robertson, former SNP leader at Westminster, has years of experience but has "not made that much public impact" since his return to Holyrood in 2021, Curtice says.

Although no one has declared their intention to run yet, another potential contender is John Swinney, who Curtice says has been a "brilliant" deputy leader" but "didn’t have a happy time" when he led the party between 2000 and 2004.

Image source, PA Media

More SNP MPs have joined calls to delay the party's independence summit - due to be held next month - after it was thrown into doubt after Nicola Sturgeon's resignation as first minister.

Sturgeon had scheduled 19 March conference to discuss a strategy to gain Scottish independence following the UK Supreme Court decision in December that Holyrood could not legislate for a second referendum.

At the time Sturgeon called for the next general election to be used as a de facto referendum.

The SNP's national executive committee will decide later today whether to go ahead with the summit when they meet online to discuss the timing for a leadership contest.

Earlier, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said the new first minister should be given time to set out their own agenda.

Stewart McDonald, MSP for Glasgow South, who had criticised Sturgeon's plan to use the next general election as a de facto referendum on independence, said the leadership contest should take about six weeks, meaning it would not finish until after the scheduled date of the conference.

Image source, Getty Images

Nicola Sturgeon's eight years as Scotland's first minister makes her the longest standing person in the post.

As her time at the top of Scottish politics comes to an end, BBC Scotland correspondents look at how she has done in their specialist area.

You can read their report card here.

The difficulties around the SNP special conference next monthpublished at 12:29 Greenwich Mean Time 16 February 2023

12:29 GMT 16 February 2023

Jenni Davidson
BBC Scotland senior politics reporter

It’s difficult to see how the SNP’s conference on the road to independence can go ahead next month following the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon.

Members will be presented with two possible routes to an independence vote following the ruling by the Supreme Court that the Scottish Parliament doesn’t have the power to hold one.

They’ll be given the choice between using the next general election as a de facto referendum or doing the same at the next Holyrood election.

But there are suggestions from some within the party, including the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn and SNP president Mike Russell, that this needs to be delayed or cancelled while a new leader is chosen.

Nicola Sturgeon herself gave this conference as one of her reasons for resigning now – she didn’t want her views on the best option to carry to much weight when she wasn’t sure she would see the result through.

Surely the party will not want to bind the hands of a new leader by setting a policy before they are in place?