Downing Street has ‘a lot of listening to do’ after election, says Swinney

John Swinney has said Downing Street has “a lot of listening to do” as he called for respect between the two governments.

Speaking to the BBC as his party claimed it had “emphatically” won the Holyrood election on Friday, the First Minister said relations between the two governments had “soured” through the course of the campaign.

Mr Swinney, who looks set to continue his stay in Bute House, said he was confident there would be a pro-independence majority, including support from the Scottish Greens.

“I’d like to enjoy a more co-operative relationship with the United Kingdom Government – we have got to be partners, we have got shared interests,” he said.

“There has been a souring of relationships over the last nine months with the UK Government – it’s all been about the politics of the election.

“Now the Labour Government has just been hammered in Scotland and I hope that lesson is learned in Downing Street that there’s now got to be respect for the Scottish Government exercised by the UK Government.”

He added: “So my message to Downing Street tonight is very, very clear – they have got a lot of listening to do to the fact that Labour have been hammered here in Scotland and an SNP Government, after 19 years in office, has just been emphatically returned to office, and Scotland needs respect as a consequence of that election outcome.”

Throughout the campaign, Mr Swinney said a majority for his party would be enough to intensify calls for a second independence referendum.

Despite the party’s win, they are expected to fall short of the 65 seats needed for a majority.

Mr Swinney said Holyrood must “consider the aspirations of all parties and consider the aspirations of those who want Scotland to be an independent country”.

Angus Robertson, who had been the constitution, external affairs and culture secretary in the Scottish Government, was defeated by the Scottish Greens, as the party claimed its first constituency seat in Holyrood’s history.

Lorna Slater, who was a minister in the Scottish Government as part the previous powersharing deal with the SNP, said her victory was “a big step for the Scottish Green Party”.

While all the party’s previous MSPs had been elected on the regional list, the Greens this time round claimed seats in both Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Ms Slater hailed it as a “fantastic day” for the party.

Mr Robertson said that boundary changes in the constituency had been a “significant contributory factor” in his defeat.

But he added: “At the end of the day what matters most is who gets the most votes, and that wasn’t me.”

Mr Robertson continued: “I think one of the most important lessons in politics is to treat people on the way down the way you treat them on the way up.

“Because politics is a really, really hard business.”

Ms Slater will be joined by Glasgow councillor Holly Bruce, who beat minister Kaukab Stewart to the Glasgow Southside seat formerly held by Nicola Sturgeon.

Mr Robertson’s defeat came after the SNP made gains from other parties in earlier results, perhaps most notably winning the Shetland seat which had been held by the Liberal Democrats since the start of devolution.

The SNP also won the Eastwood constituency outside of Glasgow from the Scottish Tories – although here perhaps Mr Swinney’s party were helped by the rise of Reform.

The Conservative vote was down by more than 10%, with Reform picking up 9% of the vote, resulting in former SNP MP Kirsten Oswald being elected to Holyrood.

Elsewhere the SNP saw current Westminster leader Stephen Flynn elected as the MSP for Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine, with fellow SNP MP Stephen Gethins also swapping Westminster for Holyrood after being elected in Dundee City East.

Speaking as results started coming in, Mr Swinney told the Press Association: “What I’m certain about is the SNP is going to be the leading party in the Scottish Parliament after these elections, and we will be so by a very considerable margin.”

Meanwhile Mr Sarwar said Scottish Labour was “hurting”, telling reporters as he arrived at the count in Glasgow that “those who seek to divide us and use people with frustrations to divide us are going to win the day today”.

But Mr Sarwar hinted that he would not step down from his post despite the defeat, adding: “My party is hurting – we’re disappointed.

“We advocate for change, we didn’t win that argument, but it’s my job to hold us together and that’s a job I intend to do.”

Mr Swinney however claimed Labour had fought a “fundamentally negative campaign”.

Speaking about this rivals, the SNP leader said: “They have essentially said to people to vote against the SNP, they’ve not given people any reasons to vote for the Labour Party.

“I set out an ambitious agenda to continue the improvements in the National Health Service, to deliver practical support, to tackle the cost of living challenges that members of the public face, and offer people in Scotland the opportunity of a fresh start with independence.

“You’ve got to motivate people with your message and your ideas and your hopes. The SNP has done that, and the Labour Party hasn’t.”

While the election had been fought against a background of rising support for Reform UK, that has not – yet – translated into any seats for Nigel Farage’s party at Holyrood.

Scottish leader Malcolm Offord was third in the Inverclyde constituency he was standing in – but he, along with other Reform UK candidates could still be elected on the list vote.

Meanwhile Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur, who was the first MSP to be returned in this election, did so with the largest ever share of the vote, holding on to his island constituency with 70% of the ballots cast