the SNP would pursue in an independent Scotland were detailed in Scotland's Future, the Scottish Government's 670-page white paper on the case for Scottish independence and the means through which Scotland would become an independent country. It had previously been claimed by the SNP that the White Paper would be a "game changer" and support for independence did rise after the publication of the document. The referendum was held on Thursday 18 September 2014. The Yes Campaign was defeated, with 44.7% of voters voting "Yes" and 55.3% voting "No" in response to the question "Should Scotland be an independent country?". The turnout was 84.6%. Sturgeon era Following the defeat of the Yes Campaign, on the morning of 19 September, Alex Salmond announced he intended to step down as Leader of the Scottish National Party and First Minister of Scotland at the SNP's Autumn Conference. On 14 November 2014, Nicola Sturgeon was elected as Leader of the Scottish National Party unopposed, with Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie elected as Depute Leader. On 20 November 2014, Sturgeon was formally sworn in as First Minister of Scotland, becoming the first female to hold the position. She embarked on a tour of Scotland, speaking to 12,000 people at the Hydro Arena in Glasgow on 22 November 2014. The SNP's party membership increased dramatically post referendum, from around 25,000 members on the day of the referendum to around 92,000 as of 22 November 2014. 2015 SNP landslide The SNP rebounded from the loss in the independence referendum at the 2015 UK general election, led by Nicola Sturgeon. The party went from holding six seats in the House of Commons to 56, mostly at the expense of the Labour Party. All but three of the fifty-nine constituencies in the country elected an SNP candidate in the party's most comprehensive electoral victory at any level. 2016 parliamentary elections The SNP remained in control of the Scottish Parliament following the 2016 parliamentary elections. However, the SNP dropped from 69 seats at the 2011 election to 63, losing their majority. Nicola Sturgeon retained her post as First Minister under an SNP minority government. 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum The SNP was the only party to oppose the parliamentary bill which authorised a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU a year prior. While the SNP campaigned against European Communities membership in the 1975 referendum, it campaigned