SNP wins Scottish election as Reform and Labour tie for second

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. SNP wins Scottish election as Reform and Labour tie for second16 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleAngus CochraneSenior political journalist, ScotlandPA MediaJohn Swinney is set to continue as Scotland's first minister The SNP has won a fifth successive Scottish Parliament election, but fallen short of its target of an overall majority at Holyrood. The party won 58 seats, with 65 needed for a majority. Labour, who not so long ago harboured ambitions of toppling the SNP, finished a distant second on 17 seats - tied with Reform, who made their electoral breakthrough in Scotland.

The Scottish Greens won a record 15 seats - including their first ever constituency victories. The Conservatives lost their position as the parliament's largest opposition party, suffering their worst-ever Holyrood election result to finish with 12 seats. The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, returned 10 MSPs.

The Details

Leader John Swinney had said an SNP majority could pave the way for another independence referendum. Overall, there is a majority of parties at Holyrood who support Scottish independence - with the SNP and the Greens totalling 73 of the 129 seats. While the SNP is expected to return to government, it will have to rely on help from other parties to pass legislation and reinstall Swinney as first minister.

The SNP leader told Scotland News that his party had won the Holyrood election "hands down". As a result of this "commanding position", he added "the public expectation will be for me to be returned as first minister and to lead a government". Getty ImagesMalcolm Offord won a seat on the West of Scotland list Along with an SNP victory, it had long been predicted that Reform UK - led in Scotland by former Tory peer Malcolm Offord - would become a major force at Holyrood.

The party, promising tax cuts and action to curb immigration, had never had an MSP elected before - previous MSPs had defected from other parties. Reform's best hope of a constituency victory - where the candidate with the most votes is elected - was in Banffshire and Buchan Coast, but the party lost out to the SNP by just 364 votes. Yet the party performed far better on regional lists - where parties that do not fare as well in constituencies can make gains thanks to a more proportional voting system.

Offord, who was elected via the West of Scotland list, told Scotland News he had aimed to get more than 20 MSPs, but that the result would provide "a really good group to establish a base inside Holyrood". The Reform leader said his party would be "challengers and scrutineers" of the Scottish government. And he added: "We will be very focused on trying to get Holyrood focused on the day job, on devolved matters and really highlighting the issues that matter to people on the doorsteps: the schools, the roads, the day-to-day matters that Holyrood needs to be focused on.

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