Holyrood Election 2026: The count begins…

John Swinney is confident that – as polls have suggested – the SNP will emerge as the largest party in the Scottish Parliament.

However, it remains to be seen if the party will have a majority.

Speaking at the election count in Perth after he won the seat there, he said: ‘We are at the very early stages of the election count across the country.

‘But it is becoming clear that the Scottish National Party is going to emerge as the largest party in this election campaign. That is, for me, something incredibly precious.’

As Stephen Flynn narrowly held the Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine seat for the SNP with a tiny majority of just over 1,000 over Tory Liam Kerr is fizzing.

The Scottish Tories say it was Reform UK’s 6,000 votes which denied them a ‘massive scalp’.

Scottish Labour’s Donald MacKinnon wins in the Western Isles, taking the seat from the SNP with 4,665 votes.

The SNP win in Paisley as candidate George Adam secures 13,164 votes.

Scottish Labour’s Neil Bibby comes second.

SNP win in Banffshire & Buchan Coast with candidate Kafren Adam securing 10,374 votes.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has admitted defeat at the Holyrood election – saying the vote is a ‘disappointing result for us’.

He adds: ‘We argued the case for change but ultimately it is an argument we lost.’

Arriving at the Glasgow count

Mr Sarwar said: ‘This is clearly a disappointing result for us as a Scottish Labour Party. We argued the case for change, made the argument for change, but ultimately it is an argument we lost.’

Asked if the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was to blame, Mr Sarwar said: ‘Throughout this campaign I have tried to make this about Scotland, I’m not going to change that today. Is there a national wave though that we tried to overcome but failed to do so? Yes.’

The SNP has held Perth South with Jim Fairlie re-elected as an MSP with 14,707 votes.

The Lib Dems come second with 4,329 votes.

The SNP’s Kate Campbell holds Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent with 14,083 votes.

The SNP win Midlothian North as returning MSP Colin Beattie secures 11,250 votes.

The SNP MP and leader at Westminster Stephen Flynn wins in Aberdeen Deeside with 11,788 votes.

The Scottish Conservatives Liam Kerr comes second with 10,544

Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Alex Cole-Hamilton is predicting that his party is poised to take a ‘big step forward’ in terms of seats at Holyrood.

Speaking at the Edinburgh count centre at the Royal Highland Centre – accompanied by wife Gill and daughter Darcy – he said a win for the party in Edinburgh Northern would be ‘astonishing’ given his party trailed the SNP by around 20,000 votes in 2021 in the old Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency area.

However, he also acknowledged there was disappointment for the party in Shetland, where itlost its long-held seat to the SNP.