DENYING the SNP an overall majority was a “collective effort” by Unionists, according to John Curtice. The polling expert was writing in The Scotsman after the SNP and Scottish Greens won a total of 72 seats in Holyrood on a record turnout for the Scottish Parliament elections of 63% – 10% higher than the previous average. Curtice said the SNP’s lack of an outright majority was because Unionist voters voted for a party in each constituency that had the potential to beat the SNP. He said: “Denying the SNP an overall majority was, indeed, a collective effort – at least on the part of Unionist voters, who on the constituency ballot demonstrated a remarkable willingness to back whichever pro-union party appeared to be best placed locally to defeat the SNP.”
Nicola Sturgeon applauded Stewart as she arrived at the count to congratulate her new parliamentary colleague. She said: “I have never wanted to hug someone so much in my life,” the First Minister said, adding she was “thrilled beyond words” at the result. “It has taken us far too long, more than 20 years, but today she becomes the first woman of colour to be elected to our national Parliament,” she said. “Party politics aside this is a really special and a very significant moment for Scotland and I could not be prouder right now.” Glasgow Kelvin had been a key seat for the SNP to hold – and Stewart comfortably saw off a challenge from the Green’s co-leader Patrick Harvie who was bidding to become the first from his party to win a constituency seat in Scotland.
Boris Johnson offers âolive branchâ summit meeting to Nicola Sturgeon BORIS Johnson appeared to signal a new approach towards Scotland as he wrote last night to Nicola Sturgeon congratulating her on the SNP Holyrood election victory and inviting her to a special UK summit to discuss and plan recovery from the pandemic. The letter suggested a softer stance from the Prime Minister who did not travel to Scotland during the election campaign amid Tory fears over his unpopularity. In his correspondence he did not mention an independence referendum – which he has repeatedly said he would not agree to – and instead indicated that he wished to work with the new Scottish Government and the other devolved administrations.
Gordon MacDonald, right, Ben Macpherson, centre, and Ash Denham all won constituency seats in Edinburgh THEY may have fallen just short of a majority in the Scottish Parliament, but the SNP swept the boards in all three Edinburgh constituencies that were counted and declared yesterday. Ash Denham, Ben Macpherson and Gordon MacDonald comfortably held Edinburgh Eastern, Edinburgh Northern and Leith and Edinburgh Pentlands respectively. The SNP victories across the Lothians meant they gained no list MSPs for the region, but that meant three Conservatives, three Labour and two Scottish Greens were elected. In the last result to be declared, Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater and her colleague, sitting MSP Alison Johnstone, were both elected on the Lothian regional list.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon pictured with Kaukab Stewart who made history as the first woman of colour to be elected to Holyrood. Photo: Coin Mearns NICOLA Sturgeon has declared a second independence referendum is the “will of the country”, after the SNP won a record fourth consecutive term in power in a pro-independence majority parliament. The SNP and Scottish Greens won a total of 72 seats in Holyrood on a record turnout for the Scottish Parliament elections of 63%. In her victory speech, the First Minister said her first focus would be on the coronavirus pandemic but that the people of Scotland should be able to decide on the constitutional question “when the time is right”.