NICOLA Sturgeon launched her bid to be First Minister with a warning to the other parties they must come good on their promise of new powers.

In turn she was told by opponents to accept the people had said no to independence and to move on.

As reported in later editions of the Evening Time yesterday, Ms Sturgeon revealed her plans to succeed Alex Salmond at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, with Buchanan Street as her backdrop.

The Glasgow Southside MSP said: "The fact is that those who voted Yes, combined with those who voted No on the promise of substantial extra powers, form a powerful majority for real and meaning-ful change in this country.

"It is that change that must now be defined and then delivered."

Ms Sturgeon said she would be a constructive partner in the process of delivering more powers and could see no reason why she would block delivery.

She added however that Scotland must be included in the decisions.

She added: "The days of back-room deals are over."

Ms Sturgeon said she has no plans for another referendum but added: "But one thing that is important for politicians to understand, myself included, is the question of if and when there will be another referendum will be dictated by circumstances and the mood of the public."

Her remarks raised the prospect of another referendum if promises were not kept and people demanded further change.

However she said independence could only come about through a referendum and one could only be held if a party won an election on the basis of promising one. She said she was not prepared to write the manifesto for the 2016 election now.

Labour and Conservative MSPs told the prospective First Minister, she must accept Scotland wants devolution.

Drew Smith Glasgow Labour MSP said: "If Nicola Sturgeon wants to move forward after so long as Alex Salmond's deputy she needs to show that she has learned the lessons of the referendum which her old boss has found so difficult to heed.

"That must mean being prepared to accept that Scotland remaining within the United Kingdom is the settled will of the Scottish people."

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said: "This confirms that a vote for the SNP in 2016 is a vote for another independence referendum - that is not what the majority in Scotland want.

"People are now looking at independence through the rear view mirror.

"Through the windscreen ahead is the immediate concern of what this Scottish Parliament is going to work to achieve and how it deals with the new powers it will receive.

"People have moved on, the SNP must too."

stewart.paterson@eveningtimes.co.uk