John Swinney said he had to be sure what he did was 'right for my family, the Scottish National Party and our country'.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney will not enter the race to become first minister and leader of the SNP, he has announced.
The politician, who has also represented North Tayside in Westminster, said: "For the best part of the last 40 years, I have had the privilege of being at the very heart of formulating the strategy of the SNP. "To create the space for that fresh perspective to emerge, I have decided not to be a candidate for leadership in the SNP," he said."I encourage those who stand for election to bring forward perspectives that anchor the SNP in the mainstream of Scottish politics which is an absolutely critical requirement for the future success of our cause.
The MP said in her column in The National newspaper the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon could be a "turning point", but only if the party could "honestly appraise where things have gone wrong and radically reset our approach".
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