Historic win for SNP but change and challenges ahead at Holyrood

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Historic win for SNP but change and challenges ahead at Holyrood21 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleJames CookScotland editorGetty ImagesDevolution was designed by Labour and delivered by Labour but the political era it ushered in has been dominated by the Scottish National Party. This was the seventh election since the creation of the modern Scottish Parliament in 1999 and the SNP's fifth victory in a row. As the sun dipped behind Holyrood at the end of a long day's counting, SNP leader John Swinney told me his party had won the election "hands down.

"Describing the margin of victory as "significant and emphatic," Swinney insisted "the public expectation" was now for him "to be returned as first minister and to lead a government. "The SNP leader said he would work "to find common ground" with any party except Reform UK, which he described as having "completely different values" to his. "People are feeling fragile.

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The world is a place in turmoil and I think what people want is a first minister who will bring people together," he told me. SNP wins fifth election but falls short of majority as Labour and Reform tie for secondScottish election 2026: Results in maps and chartsWhatever the outcome of those chats, it is clear that Swinney is comfortable with the idea of minority government and of negotiating with most rivals on an issue-by-issue basis. He is also well aware that the SNP's last power-sharing arrangement with the Scottish Greens ended in acrimony.

As we spoke outside Holyrood, a small crowd holding saltires and placards had gathered calling for Scottish independence in word and song. The strains of Flower of Scotland could be heard drifting across the parliamentary pond. The singers will be heartened by the fact that there is – once again – a pro-independence majority here.

It's comprised of 58 SNP MSPs and 15 jubilant Scottish Greens, a record haul which puts them just behind Labour and Reform UK, who were tied on 17 apiece. However, Swinney spent the election campaign insisting that the only way to be certain of advancing their cause was by securing a majority for the SNP alone. Indeed, he repeatedly talked up the prospect of outright victory, a very high bar in a parliament where the electoral system is designed to make minority or coalition government the norm.

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He did not come particularly close to achieving that aim. While this was obviously a clear victory for the SNP, and a remarkable achievement after 19 years in power, it was not the wholesale endorsement he had sought from voters. The SNP's vote share fell as did its total number of seats, down from 64 to 58, well short of the 65 needed for a majority in the 129 seat parliament.

The party also endured some painful constituency losses. In Edinburgh Central, the Greens' Lorna Slater unseated cabinet minister and campaign director Angus Robertson. The Greens also took Glasgow Southside, the seat vacated by former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.