'Nicola Sturgeon's resignation is a major obstacle stripped from Labour’s path'

15 February 2023 , 14:09

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Labour leader Keir Starmer can capitalise on SNP disarray (Image: Getty Images)

Christmas has come early for Keir Starmer.

If you asked the Labour leader what he present he wanted high on the list would have been the departure of Nicola Sturgeon.

Thanks to the resignation of the Scottish First Minister, a major obstacle has been removed from Labour’s path to victory at the next election.

It is a tribute to Ms Sturgeon’s skills that the SNP have been able to defy political gravity and retain such a commanding lead in the polls.

She has kept her bickering party together, managed to ride out the Alex Salmond scandal and avoid the blame for problems facing Scotland’s schools and hospitals.

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Nicola Sturgeon announces her resignation as first minister of Scotland (AP)

Now she is leaving the stage there is a risk for the Nationalists that the curtain come down early on the whole show.

The leadership contest could see simmering divisions within the SNP over the best way to achieve independence boil over into a heated civil war.

And it is Labour which is best placed to capitalise on the SNP’s misfortunes.

If Starmer can win back seats in Labour’s former heartland then he will be a step closer to winning an overall majority in next year’s general election.

It is a sign of the Labour leader’s increased confidence that he blocked Jeremy Corbyn from standing as a Labour candidate.

The move will antagonise the left but Starmer will relish the showdown as it allows him to demonstrate how much the party has changed on his watch while also blunting the Tory attack that he remains contaminated by Corbyn era.

There is a long way to go between now and the next election but today's events could prove a pivotal moment on Labour’s journey back to power.

Jason Beattie