Nicola Sturgeon to Formally Take Over from Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond at SNP Annual Conference

Nicola Sturgeon is set to take over from Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond at the Scottish National Party annual conference next week.

On 18 September, over 80% of Scots turned out to vote and, in the end, 55% decided Scotland should stay part of the 307-union with England.

Only a day later Salmond announced he would resign. He also said voters were "tricked" into rejecting independence following a raft of promises by Whitehall for enhanced devolution, in exchange for a No vote.

Sturgeon has been Scotland's deputy leader for the past decade and was the only candidate to succeed Salmond.

She has previously reinforced the belief that "it's not an if but a when" Scotland breaks away from the rest of the UK.

"There is no going back - and much as they might have wanted to, Whitehall politicians and mandarins cannot put us back in a devolved box," said Sturgeon.

"The word 'devolution' is no longer adequate, for that describes a process of handing down carefully circumscribed powers from on high to a relatively passive people.

"Scotland is now more politically engaged and assertive than at any stage of the democratic era."

At the SNP annual conference, to be held in Perth, Salmond will reaffirm the SNP's target of bringing its membership to 100,000 before the 2015 general election.

The SNP's membership numbers have rocketed from 25,000 to 84,000 since the referendum.