Scotland election results LIVE: Sturgeon's hopes for SNP majority savaged by shock loss
| Published date | 06 May 2021 |
| Publication title | Express, The/The Express on Sunday: Web Edition Articles (London, England) |
As counting restarted today, a possible case of electoral fraud is being investigated by police at the Edinburgh count.
Police Scotland says a suspicious ballot paper was seized after a would-be voter in the Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency tried to vote, only to be stopped because someone had already cast a ballot in their name.
Candidates and polling agents were summoned on Saturday morning as counting got under way in Edinburgh to witness count staff and police attempt to track down the vote in question.
Depute returning officer Chris Highcock confirmed that the vote allegedly cast in someone else's name - a crime known as personation - had been located and was being investigated by police.
The votes cast in another person's name will still be counted in the final tallies in case it turns out to be genuine, Mr Highcock said, but it has now been removed and placed in an evidence bag should police need to test for fingerprints.
The person who was unable to vote would have been able to secretly write who they intended to vote for in a sealed envelope which could then be revealed in the event of a legal challenge or court case, he said.
FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES:
3.57am update: Boris says holding referendum now "irresponsible and reckless"
The Prime Minister has dismissed calls to hold another Scottish referendum as "irresponsible and reckless".
He told the Daily Telegraph: "
"I listened to the Scottish election carefully. My impression was that they [the SNP] moved away from the idea of a referendum, and I think very wisely.
"I don't think this is anything like the time to have more constitutional wrangling... people want to heal our economy and bounce forward together."
1.40am update: Sturgeon: No 'democratic' justification to deny independence referendum
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has thrown down the gauntlet to Boris Johnson, saying there was no "democratic justification" whatsoever "to block the right of the people of Scotland to choose our future."
She insisted that holding a referendum was now "the will of the country".
12.20am update: Sturgeon hails 'historic' victory and vows to push ahead with independence referendum
Nicola Sturgeon hailed the SNP's victory, calling it "historic and extraordinary". The party won 64 seats - one short of a majority but one more than it won in 2016.
She said the main focus in the short term would be to steer the country through the COVID crisis. However, she vowd once that had been done, she would push ahead with a second independence referendum.
In her victory speech she said: "And, yes, when the crisis has passed, it is to give people in Scotland the right to choose their future.
"All of that is what I promised and all of that is what I intend to deliver."
Sunday, May 9
10.29pm update: SNP insist second independence referendum will happen
The SNP are insisting there will be a second referendum on Scotland leaving the UK despite failing to secure a Scottish Parliament majority.
They tweeted: "Once we rebuild Scotland from COVID, there will be an independence referendum."
9.30pm update: Douglas Ross claims Scottish Tories have blocked indyref2
Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative party leader, insists the SNP's bid for another independence referendum has now been blocked.
He tweeted: "Against the odds, the Scottish Conservatives have stopped an SNP majority and indyref2.
"We have won 31 seats, more votes than ever before and our highest ever vote share.
"Thank you to everyone who backed us and everyone who made it happen.
"Now let's focus 100% on rebuilding Scotland."
9.06pm update: SNP fail to get Scottish parliament majority
The SNP have failed to secure a majority in the Scottish parliament in a major blow to Nicola Sturgeon's second referendum hopes.
In total the SNP took 64 seats versus 31 for the Conservatives, 22 for Labour, eight for the Greens and four Liberal Democrats.
Alex Salmond's Alba party failed to win a single seat.
8.03pm update: Unionist parties beat nationalist parties by 38,000 votes
The main unionist parties beat their main nationalist rivals in total number of votes cast.
This is a big blow to Nicola Sturgon's claim to have a mandate for another referendum on leaving the UK.
In total the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats took 1,364,656 constituency votes.
The pro-SNP and Greens combined took 1,326,194 - 38,462 less.
6.59pm update: Tories say no mandate for second independence referendum
SNP have no mandate for a second independence referendum after likely failing to win a parliamentary majority according to Jackson Carlaw, one of the most senior Scottish Tory figures.
He tweeted: "According to projection, the people of Scotland have rejected an SNP majority and therefore IndyRef2.
"They’ve fallen short of a majority, just as they’ve fallen short of delivering on the domestic agenda."
6.18pm update: Sturgeon 'made no progress' - Scottish writer
Scottish commentator Iain Martin has argued Nicola Sturgeon "made no progress" in the Holyrood elections.
It is now looking very unlikely the SNP will manage to secure a majority in the Scottish parliament.
Mr Martin tweeted: "Nicola Sturgeon inherited an overall majority from Salmond.
"She lost it in 2016. If the projections are correct she has made no progress."
5.31pm update: Tories take council seat from SNP
Not part of the Scottish parliament election but the Tories have won the Forth and endrick council by-election beating the SNP.
This means the Conservatives are now the biggest party on Stirling council.
5.15pm update: Majority of Scots vote for pro-union parties
It looks likely most Scots voted for parties which want to keep Scotland in the UK.
Commentator Rob Wilson tweeted: "I know it’s obvious, but in Scotland the majority of votes went to pro-Union parties.
"There is no requirement for another referendum."
4.25pm update: Polling expert John Curtice says SNP mjaority hopes over
John Curtice, speaking about Aberdeenshire West result, said: "This was crucial to SNP's hopes of winning an overall majority. The route to 65 is now closed to SNP.
"On the basis of results in so far we are forecasting they will be too short of an overall majority of 15 for the two independence parties, the SNP and the Greens."
He said Nicola Sturgeon will have to negotiate with the Greens now.
4.22pm update: Tories hold Aberdeenshire West
Conservatives' Alexander Burnett has won in Aberdeenshire West, a seat the SNP was targetting.
The Tory held the vote by more than 3,000 in a seat seen as pivotal to the SNP's overall majority hopes.
3.44pm update: Tories hold Galloway and West Dumfries
The Conservatives have held onto Galloway and West Dumfries, a key SNP target. The Tory vote went up by 7.1 percent whilst Labour's fell by 6.7 percent suggesting unionist tactical voting.
It remains unclear whether the SNP will secure a majority in the Scottish Parliament.
3.17pm update: Scottish independence referendum - Will indyref2 go ahead if Nicola Sturgeon wins election?
Results in the Scottish parliamentary election are still coming in, and the future of Holyrood is still uncertain. However, if the SNP wins back its majority, will we see another independence referendum?
As results continue to trickle in, the future of Holyrood remains on a knife-edge as we wait to see if the Scottish National Party wins back its majority.
Nicola Sturgeon's party has taken three key seats, but hopes of securing an overall majority still remain tight, with some forecasters saying the SNP might be forced to create a minority government once more.
James Bickerton takes over live reporting from Richard Percival
2pm update: SNP sending in 'troops', claims Alex Salmond
The SNP are "sending their troops over the top and are piling up perhaps even a million list votes which will elect nobody", Alex Salmond has said.
Scotland's former first minister has admitted it's unlikely his new Alba Party will win any seats in the Scottish Parliament election.
He said: "We warned of the danger of piling up SNP list votes and achieving nothing, getting nobody returned and allowing unionists, Labour and Tory, to sneak in the back door. That unfortunately is what is going to happen".
He said the unionist parties were "smart" in tactical voting but "the SNP unfortunately are sending their troops over the top and are piling up perhaps even a million list votes which will elect nobody".
1pm update: Case of electoral fraud investigated by police
A possible case of electoral fraud is being investigated by police at the Edinburgh count for the Holyrood election.
A suspicious ballot paper was seized after a would-be voter in the Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency tried to vote, only to be stopped because someone had already cast a ballot in their name.
Candidates and polling agents were summoned on Saturday morning as counting got underway in Edinburgh to witness count staff and police attempt to track down the vote in question.
12:15pm update: Scotland's Islands minister worried about reelection
Scottish Government minister Paul Wheelhouse has admitted he is "not expecting good news" on the regional list on Saturday.
Mr Wheelhouse lost his bid to take Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire from Tory incumbent Rachael Hamilton by 18,564 to 11,701 votes.
Gains in other parts of the South Scotland region may harm the energy and islands minister's chances on the regional list, with the SNP taking the East Lothian and Ayr seats from Labour and the Tories respectively.
11:30an update: Support for Scottish Greens increases in Holyrood elections
Votes for the Scottish Green Party are up across the country but the margins for seat gains on the regional lists are very slim, co-leader Patrick Harvie has said.
Mr Harvie is standing in...
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