SCOTTISH Labour leader Anas Sarwar blamed Sir Keir Starmer for defeat in the battle to control the parliament in Edinburgh today, with the ruling Scottish National Party on course for a fifth consecutive term in government.

The SNP is certain to be the largest party in the new parliament, but it could end up just short of the overall majority which would empower the push for a fresh referendum on independence.

Initial results indicated the SNP’s share of the constituency vote would be around 40 per cent, a drop of 7 per cent from 2021, with Labour on about 19 per cent, the Tories around 16 per cent, Reform on 16 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 9 per cent.

The SNP was hoovering up most of the constituency seats, as it did in 2021, winning 45 of the first 55 declared. 

Seventy-three seats in the parliament are in constituencies, won on a first-past-the-post basis, with a further 56 allocated on regional lists to make the overall parliament roughly proportional.

Mr Sarwar, who had been hoping for a Labour return to office before the Westminster government began dragging the party down, said that “it became about a national mood, and a national dissatisfaction. And that was a mood that we were not able to overcome.”

He added that he stood by the call he made earlier this year for Sir Keir to stand down.

First Minister John Swinney held his Perthshire North seat with a slightly reduced vote share. “It is becoming clear that the Scottish National Party is going to emerge as the largest party in this election campaign,” the First Minister said.

The party’s leader in the House of Commons Stephen Flynn was narrowly elected for the Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine constituency, meaning he will be expected to resign his Westminster seat.

“It looks to most people like the SNP are going to win a fifth historic term in government in Scotland, and let it be known that soon Scotland will be an independent nation and we will thrive,” he said.

The SNP held off a strong push from Reform to win Banffshire and Buchan Coast but Reform Scotland leader Michael Offord placed a poor third in the Inverclyde seat and will be looking to a regional list to enter the parliament.

Labour gained the Western Isles and Edinburgh South seats from the SNP, while the SNP took Eastwood from the Tories but lost Edinburgh North to the Liberal Democrats.

The SNP also snatched the Shetlands seat from the Liberal Democrats. And the Greens won their first ever constituency seats in the parliament by taking Edinburgh Central and Glasgow Southside.