John Swinney’s party will form the Government again after a resounding victory.
John Swinney has challenged Downing Street after the SNP won a commanding victory at the Holyrood election.
The First Minister, whose party fell short of the majority he said was needed for indyref2, said the UK Government has a “lot of listening to do” after Labour was humbled.
Labour and Reform are still battling it out for second place after Anas Sarwar’s party suffered a terrible defeat.
The SNP victory came after a fractious election campaign which failed to capture the public’s imagination.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s troubles hit Labour hard, boosted Reform and led to the SNP romping to another win.
The SNP picked up seats in Shetland and Eastwood and an overall majority was within touching distance early on Friday afternoon.
But they lost seats to the Greens in Edinburgh Central and Glasgow Southside, as well as to Labour in Na h-Eileanan and to the Lib Dems.
Losing Edinburgh Central meant Swinney’s cabinet colleague Angus Robertson lost his place at Holyrood.
READ MORE: SNP has ‘significant mandate’ for independence referendum and UK Government ‘must not stand in the way’READ MORE: SNP veteran Angus Robertson crashes out of Holyrood after Greens gain Edinburgh Central in historic result
The SNP easily won more seats than any of their rivals but failed to reach the 65 cited by Swinney as the mandate required for a second referendum.
With most of the results announced, the SNP are on 57 MSPs, while Labour and Reform are on 17 and 15 respectively.
The Highlands and Islands List, which is still to declare, will determine who comes second. The Greens are currently on 13 MSPs, with the Tories on 11 and the Lib Dems 9.
Swinney said: “It is now clear that the SNP has won and we have won emphatically.
“Living in a democracy is something that all of us should cherish and I would like thank everyone who voted in this election.
“Once again the people of Scotland have put their trust in us.
“However you voted today, I promise that I will be a First Minister for all of Scotland.
“All of us care about our country’s future.
“I give you my commitment that I will work every day to improve your life and make Scotland the nation we know it can be.”
Swinney also said he wanted a “more cooperative” relationship with the UK Government after a recent “souring”.
He said Labour had been “hammered” at the election and urged Starmer to learn lessons.
He said: “My message to Downing Street tonight is very, very clear. They have got a lot of listening to do.”
The vote for First Minister will take place after MSPs are sworn in later this month, with Swinney set to be re-elected to the top job.
Meanwhile, the surge for Reform UK south of the border was replicated at the Holyrood election.
They came second in a swathe of constituencies and racked up MSPs on the regional lists.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who campaigned to win the election, had a dismal night after losing to the SNP throughout the country.
He set a target of winning 38 constituencies, but only picked up Na h-Eileanan an Iar were squeezed on the regional Lists.
At the election count in Glasgow, where Sarwar was returned as a List MSP, Sarwar said:
“This clearly is a disappointing result for us as a Scottish Labour party. We argued the case for change….it’s an argument we lost.”
Asked if he blamed the Prime Minister, he said: “Is there a national wave though that we tried to overcome, but failed to do so? Yes.”
He was also asked if he would stay in post after leading Labour to two defeats at Holyrood elections:
“My party is hurting. We are disappointed. We advocated for change. We didn’t win that argument, but it’s my job to hold us together and that’s the job I intend to do.”
Scottish Labour’s defeat triggered a blame game between insiders who blasted Starmer and those who pointed the finger at Sarwar’s campaign.
Candidate Paul Sweeney said the Prime Minister needed to think “very carefully” about his position.
He said some of the UK Government decisions had been “deeply, deeply disappointing” for “core voters”.
But a Labour source attacked Sarwar: “Watching Anas’ campaign was like watching someone trying to carry four pints back from the bar – everyone else knew what was going to happen, but he still thought he was making it to the table.”
The Lib Dems picked up constituency wins and the Greens also powered to their best ever result at Holyrood.
Winning Edinburgh Central and Glasgow Southside was the first time the Greens won constituencies at Holyrood.
However, the Tories under Russell Findlay’s leadership had a poor night.
Although they held on to many of their constituencies amid an SNP onslaught, they lost a number of List seats.
Sarwar and Starmer clashed this year after the Scottish Labour leader called for the PM to quit.
The Glasgow MSP was first out the traps last night to write to party members:
“The results today are not what we wanted or worked for and I know how disappointed everyone in our movement will be this evening.
“We tried to make the case for change but sadly we fell short across the constituencies in which we had been fighting so hard.
“We are hurting as a Party tonight and I see it as my job now to hold us together, as we regroup and chart the course ahead.
“I still believe it falls to the Scottish Labour Party to hold the SNP to account and in time deliver the change that our communities and our country need.
“We must also continue to stand together against the poison of Reform and we will do so by staying true to our values.”
Forty minutes later, Starmer also wrote to members:
“This is a really tough result and a difficult day for Scottish Labour. We’ve lost brilliant Labour members of the Scottish Parliament who’ve stood up for their communities and gave so much to our party.
“Today’s results were not the ones we hoped for, but I know that was despite the effort of Scottish Labour members, who knocked on thousands of doors, speaking to voters across Scotland and taking forward our message of change. So I want to say to you, a massive thank you.
“We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Anas for the energy he brought to the campaign. He rightly sought to focus this election on two decades of SNP failure and his vision for a better Scotland and I know he will continue making that case as we move forward from these results.
He added: “I know how much today hurts. As Labour Party leader and Prime Minister, I take my responsibility seriously. When Scottish voters send a message like this, it’s important to reflect and respond.
“The government I lead has always sought to deliver change to all parts of the United Kingdom. But I know people in Scotland are still deeply frustrated. They feel let down by decades of a failed status quo. And their lives aren’t changing fast enough.
“We’ve gone through a tough time as a country – we have weathered economic shocks and international conflict. People have seen incalculable damage to their communities and years of political chaos.
“I was elected to take on those challenges.”
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