Nicola Sturgeon 'relieved' Boris Johnson is resigning but says 'problems run deeper'

Nicola Sturgeon spoke of the "widespread sense of relief" over Boris Johnson's imminent resignation Credit: PA

The First Minister of Scotland has said there is a "widespread sense of relief" as the Prime Minister prepares to stand down as leader of the Tory party.

In a series of posts on social media, Nicola Sturgeon said Boris Johnson should never have been elected as leader and "the problems run much deeper than one individual".

Before Thursday morning (July 7), Boris Johnson had been insisting he would stay in post despite nearly 60 ministers resigning over 48 hours.

These included the Education Secretary Michelle Donelan after just one day in the job.

She was promoted to the role following the resignations of the Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the then Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

Number 10 says Mr Johnson is expected to resign as Leader of the Conservatives but will remain in post as PM until a new party leader is elected in the autumn.

It is thought this will happen before the Conservative party conference in October.

This move has been criticised by Ms Sturgeon who said idea of Mr Johnson staying as the PM was not ideal or sustainable.

Scotland's First Minister continued: "Boris Johnson was always manifestly unfit to be PM and the Tories should never have elected him leader or sustained him in office for as long as they have.

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"But the problems run much deeper than one individual. The Westminster system is broken."

Ms Sturgeon used the opportunity to reiterate her desire for IndyRef2 saying it offered a "real and permanent alternative to Westminster."

The Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar also said: "The entire country will breathe a sigh of relief that Boris Johnson is going."

He added: "But, let's not forget that whoever replaces him is complicit. We don't just need a change at the top, we need a change of Government."

It is understood the Prime Minister will make a statement to the nation about his position at around 1pm today (7 July).

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