Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation could prompt a major rethink around the SNP’s plans for indyref2, the party’s Westminster leader has suggested.
The first minister previously announced her intention to fight the next UK general election as a de facto referendum on independence.
Following the decision of the UK Supreme Court that Holyrood could not legislate for another referendum on its own, a special conference was scheduled for 19 March to discuss the next steps.
But with Ms Sturgeon’s surprise announcement of her resignation on Wednesday, the conference has now been cast into doubt.
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SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn MP reacts to Nicola Sturgeon’s shock resignation as first minister of Scotland
‘I think it’s sensible that we do hit the pause button’
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn told Sky News that the party was in an “incredibly strong position” but the conference should be postponed to allow for a leadership race and for the new first minister to set out their vision.
He said: “The de facto referendum was obviously put forward by the first minister and we were going to be discussing and debating the merits of that at that party conference.
“I personally think that party conference should be paused, for obvious reasons.
“I think the new leader should have the opportunity and indeed the space to set out their position, their values and their intentions going forward.
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“So that would be my take in relation to that. I think it’s sensible that we do hit the pause button on that conference and allow the new leader the opportunity to set out their vision.”
Image: Nicola Sturgeon at Wednesday’s press conference
‘A new leader will wish to revisit the strategy’
Fergus Ewing MSP, who has been a vocal opponent of the Scottish government’s plans to launch its bottle deposit return scheme in August, also does not believe the conference should go ahead.
The SNP MSP for Inverness and Nairn told Sky News: “A new leader will wish to revisit the strategy and the party focus now will obviously be on the leadership contest.
“The contest is indeed an opportunity to discuss and debate how we advance our cause, and what changes of approach will assist that.
“Changes of approach are required to rebuild relationships with business, to focus more on delivery of a strong stable economy, which is essential for us to build further support for independence, and also to deliver on the bread and butter issues that matter most to people in Scotland.”
Both Ms Regan and Joanna Cherry MP are also calling for all members who left the party in the last year to be allowed to rejoin to participate in the leadership election.
Image: Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his house with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters
Hundreds of supporters chanted “Nicolas, Nicolas” and sang the French national anthem as he left his home this morning and stepped into the car that would take him to jail.
It caps a stunning downfall of the man who led France between 2007 and 2012.
Sarkozy’s sons and daughter, Jean, Pierre, Louis and Giulia, and his grandchildren showed up at the gathering.
As he prepared to begin his prison term, he posted a message on social media repeating his claims that he is an “innocent man” and said he feels a “deep sorrow for France”.
He will be the first former French leader to be jailed since Nazi collaborator Marshal Philippe Petain after the Second World War.
In his statement, Sarkozy said: “As I prepare to cross the walls of La Sante prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions,” he said.
“I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it is not a former President of the Republic who is being locked up this morning, it is an innocent person.”
He added: “I feel deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by the expression of a vengeance that has taken hatred to an unprecedented level. I have no doubt. The truth will triumph. But the price to pay will have been crushing.”
Image: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy kisses his wife Carla Brun-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters
Parisian resident Michelle Perie, 67, said she came out to support “because there is anger, injustice”.
“He’s not like any other defendants, he’s someone who holds state secrets, he’s someone who has always done his job with his head held high. We don’t understand,” she said.
Sarkozy’s lawyers said he will be held in solitary confinement, where he will be kept away from all other prisoners for security reasons.
The former president told French newspaper Le Figaro he would take three books with him, including Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, in which the hero escapes from an island prison before seeking revenge.
A man who shot and badly wounded Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has been given a 21-year jail sentence after being found guilty of terrorism charges.
Juraj Cintula, 72, opened fire on Mr Fico in May 2024, hitting him five times from little more than a one-metre distance as the prime minister greeted supporters in the central Slovak town of Handlová.
Cintula, who was acting alone, said he had not intended to kill Mr Fico and claimed his motive was that he disagreed with government policies.
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Robert Fico
The Slovakian leader, 64, was seriously injured in the attack. He was struck in the abdomen and also sustained wounds to his hip, hand and foot. He was rushed to hospital and immediately underwent five-hour long surgery.
Mr Fico has since recovered and made his first public appearance a few months after the attack.
The shooting and subsequent trial have shaken this small, European Union and NATO-member country, where populist Mr Fico has long been a divisive figure. He’s often been criticised for straying from Slovakia’s pro-Western path and aligning it closer to Russia.
Image: Protesters at a march called “Slovakia is Europe” in Bratislava, May 9, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP
Cintula was arrested immediately after the attack. When questioned by investigators, he rejected the accusation of being a “terrorist”.
In testimony read out at his trial, Cintula stated: “I decided to harm the health of the prime minister but I had no intention to kill anyone.”
He added that he was relieved when he learned the prime minister survived.
Image: Protesters against new consolidation of Slovak government in Bratislava, Sept. 11, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP
“The defendant did not attack a citizen, but specifically the prime minister,” Igor Králik, the head of the three-judge panel, said in delivering the verdict.
“He was against the government, he was inciting people to overthrow the government.”
Cintula can still appeal the verdict, but it was not immediately clear if he would do so.
In the aftermath of the attack, Mr Fico said he “had no reason to believe” the attack was the work of just one person and repeatedly blamed the liberal opposition and media for the assassination attempt. There is no evidence for that.
The Slovak leader had previously said he “had no reason to believe” it was an attack by a lone deranged person.
He repeatedly blamed the liberal opposition and media for the assassination attempt, although no evidence was provided for these claims.
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Slovak PM shooting suspect’s home raided
Populist Mr Fico returned to power for the fourth time after his leftist Smer, or Direction, party won the 2023 parliamentary election after campaigning on a pro-Russia and anti-American message.
Thousands have repeatedly rallied in Bratislava and across Slovakia to protest Fico’s pro-Russian stance and other policies.
Japan’s parliament has voted in the country’s first ever female prime minister.
Sanae Takaichi won 237 votes in the 465-seat lower chamber of parliament, and is also set to secure a majority in the less powerful upper house before being sworn in later today.
Tuesday’s votes came after her Liberal Democratic Party agreed to a coalition with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party yesterday.
The last-minute deal came after the Liberal Democrats lost its longterm partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito, which has a more centrist stance.
Incumbent prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, of Ms Takaichi’s party, announced his resignation last month.
Image: The new prime minister stands and bows after the vote. Pic: AP
While Ms Takaichi’s election marks the shattering of a glass ceiling for Japan, it also marks a sharp tack to the right.
She is a staunchly conservative figure who cites Margaret Thatcher as an inspiration, and comes to power at a time when the country is increasingly worried about the cost of living and immigration.
Japan is currently grappling with rising prices that have sparked public anger, fuelling support for oppositions groups including the far-right Sanseito party.
Image: Japanese lawmakers electing the new PM at the Lower House of Parliament in Tokyo. Pic: Reuters
Ms Takaichi’s untested alliance is still short of a majority in both houses of parliament and she will need to win over other opposition groups to pass any legislation – which could make her government unstable.
She said at Monday’s signing ceremony: “Political stability is essential right now. Without stability, we cannot push measures for a strong economy or diplomacy.”
While she is Japan’s first female PM, Ms Takaichi has previously shown she is in no rush to promote gender equality or diversity.
She is among the Japanese politicians who have stonewalled measures for women’s advancements and she supports the imperial family’s male-only succession, while opposing same-sex marriage and allowing separate surnames for married couples.