LAST UPDATE | 5 Jul 2024

THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL Party (SNP) has taken a beating in the UK general election, with most results in, as Labour followed through on its predicted landslide success. 

The results see Labour overturn almost a decade of SNP dominance in Scotland’s Westminister seats, taking a majority of constituencies.

The SNP has so far done worse than the exit poll predicted, taking just nine seats, a huge drop from the 48 the party won in 2019. 

This is a very disappointing result for the SNP. YouGov polling ahead of today’s vote had predicted the party would win 18 seats. 

Reacting to the results, Scottish First Minister John Swinney pledged a period of “soul searching” after what he described as a “very poor” performance for the SNP.

“There will have to be a lot of soul searching as a party as a consequence of these results that have come in tonight.”

Swinney said the SNP has to be “better at governing on behalf of the people of Scotland”, adding that the party was not “winning the argument” on Scottish independence.

Reacting to the exit poll last night, former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said it was not a good night for her party. 

“I think there will be a question about whether there was enough in the campaign to give out, effectively, a USP to the SNP in an election that was about getting the Tories out and replacing them with Labour.”

She added: “This is seismic for Labour. There’s no getting away from that, it’s a massive achievement for Keir Starmer.”

The SNP’s campaign centred around calls for talks on another independence referendum if the party won a majority of seats at the election.

SNP members had been saying in the lead-up to the election that if they won a majority it would show there was a mandate for another vote on independence. 

Tonight’s losses are the latest in a series of setbacks for the SNP since their longtime leader Nicola Sturgeon was forced to resign in March last year.

Sturgeon was Scotland’s longest-serving first minister until her shock departure. A month later, her husband was arrested in connection to an investigation into SNP finances.

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Three months later, Sturgeon herself was also arrested in connection to the investigation. 

The current party leader, John Swinney, has only been in place since 6 May, having taken over after Humza Yousaf resigned due to his handling of a coalition agreement with the Green Party.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Thank you to everyone who #VotedSNP, to all our candidates, and to all our dedicated activists.

💛 Together, we’ll always keep working for a better future - made in Scotland, for Scotland. pic.twitter.com/RrSFRNPJty

— The SNP (@theSNP) July 4, 2024

In a post on X, the official SNP account thanked the party’s supporters, candidates and “our dedicated activists”. 

“Together, we’ll always keep working for a better future — made in Scotland, for Scotland.”

The exit poll results ITV ITV

With reporting from David MacRedmond.