John Swinney has announced that he is to step down as SNP leader.

Following a poor round of election results in the recent European poll, pressure had intensified on the nationalist chief.

Addressing journalists yesterday, Swinney conceded that the party's prospects were being damaged by "constant speculation about my leadership".

"I couldn't allow a situation to develop where good electoral prospects for the SNP were obscured by continual speculation about John Swinney," he said.

He will continue in the leadership until the party conference in the autumn and has confirmed that he intends to remain as an MSP.