Scotland ‘have more power than ever before’ says Eustice
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has retained her seat and seen victory for the SNPs in Thursday’s election, in what she has said shows the “will of the country” in terms of a second independence referendum. While Ms Sturgeon’s party did not achieve an outright majority, with 64 seats, combined with pro-independence Scottish Greens they claim 74 seats.
Ms Sturgeon said in her victory speech: “The people of Scotland have voted to give pro-independence parties a majority in the Scottish Parliament – the final tally is not yet known, but it looks likely that the pro-independence majority will be larger in this parliament than in the last one.
“The SNP and Scottish Greens both stood on a clear commitment to an independence referendum within the next Parliamentary term.
“And both of us said that the timing of a referendum should be decided by a simple majority of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. So in no way is a referendum just demand of me or the SNP.”
She added with “the outcome of this election” Prime Minister Boris Johnson “or anyone else” has “no democratic justification whatsoever” to “block the right of the people of Scotland to choose our future”.
Read More: Boris Johnson invites Sturgeon to ‘summit’ on UK recovery
However, Mr Johnson has since written a letter to the Scottish First Minister, arguing the UK was “best served when we work together” and calling for a conversation about “our shared challenges” in recovering from the pandemic.
Scotland’s recovery from coronavirus, a second independence referendum and education were among the key issues this election.
There were several seats being closely watched due to their low majority percentages in the 2016 election, however, just two swung in Thursday’s vote.
These were Ayr and East Lothian, both switching to SNP.
SNPs Siobhian Brown took the Ayr seat from Labour, where it had been previously held by Conservative John Scott since 2000.
Ms Brown won by just 170 votes, defeating the incumbent MSP 18,881 votes to 18,711.
In East Lothian, SNP candidate Paul McLennan saw the votes swing in his favour by 2.58 percent.
The East Lothian seat had previously been held by former Labour leader Iain Gray before his retirement earlier this year.
DON’T MISS
SNP plan to woo Germany in plot to rejoin EU [INSIGHT]
Expert warns savvy crooks behind digital drug trade rise in Scotland [ANALYSIS]
Boris sends letter to Sturgeon and Drakeford ‘Build back Britain’ [INSIGHT]
Mr McLennan comfortably took the seat with a 1,179 vote lead.
Maps of the election results show a swathe of yellow for the SNP across the country, with slivers of blue for Conservative, red for Labour and orange for the Liberal Democrats.
The Liberal Democrats only managed to secure four seats, meaning leader Willie Rennie’s party have lost their status as a major party.
The Greens gained two MSPs in Thursday’s ballot, growing from six to eight in Holyrood.
Douglas Ross’ Conservatives kept their 31 seats, the same figure previously won by Ruth Davidson.
Labour leader Anas Sarwar lost two seats compared to 2016’s election, with a total of 22 Labour MSPs.
Elsewhere, creator of the new Alba Party and former First Minister Alex Salmond failed in his attempted return to Holyrood
Now attention turns to Scotland’s route out of the coronavirus pandemic and an eventual vote on Scottish independence.
The timeline for an independence vote is unclear, however, Carol Monaghan, SNP MP for Glasgow North West, said she would like to see a bill for a second independence referendum go through the Scottish Parliament this year.
She told Times Radio: “I think we need to be drawing that up pretty quickly.
“Unfortunately, initially we need to approach Westminster in order to have that referendum first of all anyway, so we will wait and see.
“Boris Johnson has been quite clear that he’s not going to grant that, so then we need to look at do we need to go to the courts in order to seek some kind of permission to go ahead with the referendum.
“What we don’t want is a wildcat referendum, we want this to be legal and we want it to be a gold standard referendum.
“I would like to see this being drawn up by the end of the year and I would like to see a referendum taking place sometime in 2022, that’s my personal position but that’s the timescale I’d be looking for.”
Full list of Scottish constituencies and how they voted
- Aberdeen Central – SNP
- Aberdeen Donside – SNP
- Airdrie and Shotts – SNP
- Angus North & Mearns – SNP
- Argyll & Bute – SNP
- Ayr – SNP
- Banffshire & Buchan Coast – SNP
- Caithness, Sutherland & Ross – SNP
- Clackmannanshire & Dunblane – SNP
- Clydebank & Milngavie – SNP
- Coatbridge & Chryston – SNP
- Cowdenbeath – SNP
- Cunninghame North – SNP
- Cunninghame South – SNP
- Dumfriesshire – Conservative
- Dumbarton – Labour
- Dundee City West – SNP
- East Lothian – SNP
- Eastwood – Conservative
- Edinburgh Central – SNP
- Edinburgh Southern – Labour
- Edinburgh Western – Lib Dem
- Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire – Conservative
- Falkirk East – SNP
- Glasgow Anniesland – SNP
- Glasgow Maryhill & Springburn – SNP
- Glasgow Pollok – SNP
- Glasgow Southside – SNP
- Greenock & Inverclyde – SNP
- Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse – SNP
- Inverness & Nairn – SNP
- Kilmarnock & Irvine Valley – SNP
- Kirkcaldy – SNP
- Linlithgow – SNP
- Midlothian North & Musselburgh – SNP
- Moray – SNP
- Motherwell & Wishaw – SNP
- Na h-Eileanan an Iar – SNP
- North East Fife – Lib Dem
- Orkney – Lib Dem
- Paisley – SNP
- Perthshire North – SNP
- Renfrewshire North & West – SNP
- Rutherglen – SNP
- Shetland – Lib Dem
- Stirling – SNP
- Strathkelvin & Bearsden – SNP
- Aberdeenshire East – SNP
- Aberdeen South & North Kincardine – SNP
- Aberdeenshire West – Conservative
- Almond Valley – SNP
- Angus South – SNP
- Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley – SNP
- Clydesdale – SNP
- Cumbernauld & Kilsyth – SNP
- Dundee City East – SNP
- Dunfermline – SNP
- East Kilbride – SNP
- Edinburgh Eastern – SNP
- Edinburgh Northern & Leith – SNP
- Edinburgh Pentlands – SNP
- Falkirk West – SNP
- Galloway & West Dumfries – Conservative
- Glasgow Cathcart – SNP
- Glasgow Kelvin – SNP
- Glasgow Provan – SNP
- Glasgow Shettleston – SNP
- Mid Fife & Glenrothes – SNP
- Midlothian South, Tweeddale & Lauderdale – SNP
- Perthshire South & Kinross-shire – SNP
- Renfrewshire South – SNP
- Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch – SNP
- Uddingston & Bellshill – SNP
Source: Read Full Article