Swinney fails to win majority, but says SNP ‘emphatically’ won Holyrood election

The SNP secured 57 seats in the seventh Holyrood election, becoming the largest party but falling short of the overall majority John Swinney sought to push for Scottish independence. With all but seven seats declared, Labour held 17 seats, narrowly ahead of Reform UK’s 15. The Scottish Greens achieved their best-ever result with 13 seats, while the Scottish Liberal Democrats won nine. The Conservatives and Scottish Labour suffered their worst results, with the Tories on 11 seats. Reform UK won its first MSPs, all via the regional list system, including leader Lord Malcolm Offord in the West of Scotland. Analysts suggested Reform’s votes may have indirectly helped the SNP in key seats like Eastwood, where the SNP defeated the Tories. The SNP also regained Shetland from the Liberal Democrats, who had held the seat since 1999. SNP Westminster leaders Stephen Flynn and Stephen Gethins will move from London to Holyrood, but the party lost its campaign director, Angus Robertson, to the Greens in Edinburgh Central. Swinney called for improved relations with the UK government, stating Labour had been ‘hammered’ in Scotland and demanding respect. He emphasized that the SNP’s return after 19 years in office required recognition from Downing Street. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar acknowledged his party’s poor performance but ruled out stepping down, vowing to unite the team. Conservative leader Russell Findlay attributed losses to Reform UK’s impact, noting the party’s regional list gains had benefited the SNP. The Greens celebrated their record result, while Robertson blamed boundary changes for his defeat, though he acknowledged the SNP’s broader success.