FM congratulates Joe Biden on winning US election

The First Minister has congratulated Joe Biden after he passed the threshold of votes needed for victory in the US presidential election.

On Saturday afternoon, the former Vice-President was named as the winner by most major American news networks after passing the threshold of votes in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania.

Mr Biden’s victory means Kamala Harris will become the first woman of colour to be Vice-President.

Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Congratulations from Scotland to President-Elect Joe Biden and to history-making Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.”

The SNP leader added: “The first woman in the White House – and the first woman of colour too. This is a big and special moment.”

In a later statement, she said that their “historic victory” would be welcomed by progressives across the globe and be particularly inspiring to women and people of colour.

She said: “I welcome the commitment that was so evident in the Biden/Harris campaign to leadership and multilateral cooperation on the many challenges faced by countries across the world, from Covid-19 to climate change.

“Scotland and America share deep and longstanding bonds of friendship, and I look forward to these being renewed and strengthened in the years ahead.”

Mr Biden pulled ahead of Donald Trump as a deluge of mail-in and absentee ballots were added up in the days following the election on November 3.

Mr Trump had discouraged his supporters from voting by mail and in recent days has repeatedly claimed – without evidence – that he is being cheated out of re-election.