Holyrood Election 2026: The count begins…

The first result of the election is in as the Scottish Lib Dems take the Orkney Islands with MSP Liam McArthur returning there.

An update from our Political Editor, Michael Blackley…

Turnout for the Glasgow Anniesland constituency is 51.5 per cent – well down on 58.3 per cent in 2021.

Even lower at Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn, at 43.07 per cent. Predecessor constituency of Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn had a 51.5 per cent turnout last time.

Will they be representative of the national picture?

• Strong speculation at the Glasgow count at the Emirates Arena that the Greens have put up a strong showing and could be in contention for Glasgow Southside and Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill, which are held by the SNP’s Kaukab Stewart and Bob Doris respectively.
• In the North East, it’s looking very close between Reform, the Tories and the SNP in the Banffshire and Buchan Coast constituency. The Tories believe they are in with a chance of holding Alexander Burnett’s seat in Aberdeenshire West.
• LibDems also now giving Edinburgh Central to the Greens. LibDems also very confident they have won the new seat of Edinburgh Northern, next door to Alex Cole-Hamilton’s base. Turnout down in most Edinburgh seats by about 9 or 10 per centage points on 2021, although that is return to pre-Covid norm.
• One bright spot for Labour in Edinburgh is the Southern seat, where Labour’s Daniel Johnson thinks he’s holding on. He’s been aided by former Scottish Secretary Ian Murray being the local MP and a seasoned survivor of SNP attacks. SNP also hampered by candidate Sally Donald quitting over alleged benefit fraud and being replaced at last minute by ex-MP Deidre Brock.

UK Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has predicted the Holyrood election would see his party ‘growing very significantly’.

He praised Scottish leader Alex Cole-Hamilton for having ‘fought a fantastic campaign’ in the run-up to the May 7 ballot.

Sir Ed told BBC Scotland: ‘I’m travelling to Scotland tonight, because I think we will have results to celebrate in Scotland.’

NUJ Scotland have hit out at reports that the Perth count and at least 2 others – Inverclyde and Glenrothes – are restricting reporters ability to cover the count in the usual manner…

This is the biggest news day of the year and it is unacceptable if journalists are being barred from the floor of counts for no good reason.

From Deputy Political Editor Tom Gordon…

Angus Roberston in trouble. The Greens are confident Lorna Slater ahead of SNP heavyweight in Edinburgh Central with Labour third.

Slater expected at count soon but Robertson reportedly not coming until much later in possible sign of nerves.

John Swinney said this week the Constitution Secretary would hold on, but felt the need to campaign with him in the seat on polling day.

Scottish LibDem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton is cruising to victory in Edinburgh North Western.

Green hopeful Kate ‘Abolish prisons’ Nevens doing well in Edinburgh North Eastern & Leith but SNP’s Ben MacPherson appears to be holding on.

Labour Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said there was ‘no sugarcoating the fact we have lost a number of really good councillors across England’.

Mr Alexander told BBC Scotland: ‘Frankly, I am more interested in what happens here in Scotland.’

He said Labour had run ‘a campaign we’re really proud of’, adding ‘we feel that we closed strong and we saw a significant momentum towards the arguments we were advancing on the doorsteps in the last few days’.

Mr Alexander, who was Scottish Labour’s campaign co-chair, continued: ‘We’ve been working hard to make this a Scottish election here in Scotland, about the government of Scotland.’

He insisted: ‘This is an election here in Scotland about the First Minister, not the Prime Minister.’

Depending on results, of course, some of the party leaders could soon find themselves in trouble.

Earlier this week, Euan McColm had a look at John Swinney’s own position, and who could replace him.

The BBC captured ballot boxes arriving by ferry from the island of Bressay for the Shetland count.

Voters received some sound advice in Inverness yesterday.

Our reporter Dan Barker has this…

Scotland’s looming £4.7billion budget blackhole should have been ‘at the centre of the election campaign’, one of the country’s most influential organisations has said.

Michelle Ferguson, Scotland director of the CBI, said that no party had offered a credible plan to close the shortfall that will ‘define every decision made’ by the next Holyrood government.

Writing in The Herald she said:

Scotland has a £4.7bn problem that politicians don’t want to talk about, certainly not at this election. It’s a number that should have been at the centre of the election campaign but can’t be found in any of the parties’ manifestos. And yet it will likely define every decision made by the Scottish Government, starting on day one.

Ministers expect outgoings to exceed funding for day-to-day spending by £2.6billion by 2029/30 and for capital spending by £2.1billion.

That equals to 4 per cent of day-to-day spending and an astonishing 23 per cent of capital spending by that financial year.

Ms Ferguson warned: ‘The clock is ticking, the number is £4.7bn, and it is time that politicians from all parties were honest about the economic realities we face.’

When Malcolm Offord picked up his mis-spelled name tag at Greenock Town Hall this morning, he could at least see the funny side. Depending on results, some of his rivals might not be in such a jovial mood later on…