SNP Wins Fifth Term as Swinney Re-elected; Lib Dems Offer Conditional Support
Where things stand
Updated May 9, 01:22 AMAs of 2026-05-09, no claims regarding the Scottish Parliament election have been corroborated by multiple independent sources. Single-source reports suggest the SNP won 58 seats, Labour and Reform UK each secured 17, and the Liberal Democrats won 10. The SNP is expected to form a minority government with John Swinney as First Minister, relying on issue-by-issue support from the Lib Dems, who have ruled out a coalition. The Conservatives reportedly dropped to 12 seats, their worst result, while the Greens achieved a record 15 including first constituency victories. These details remain unverified.
Open questions
- Will the Liberal Democrats' issue-by-issue support prove sufficient for stable governance?Open since May 9, 2026
- What specific policy concessions might the Liberal Democrats demand in exchange for support?Open since May 9, 2026
- How will the SNP minority government handle the push for a second independence referendum?Open since May 9, 2026
- What factors contributed to Reform UK's electoral success and its tie with Labour?Open since May 9, 2026
- How will the record Green result influence the pro-independence agenda?Open since May 9, 2026
Key actors
What's corroborated
The SNP lost the Western Isles to Labour, as well as seats in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
1 sourceacross 1 articleThe SNP gained Shetland from the Liberal Democrats, which had been held by them since 1999.
1 sourceacross 1 articleReform UK's success helped the SNP return a swathe of constituency seats despite their vote share declining since 2021.
1 sourceacross 1 articleReform UK performed better on regional lists, with leader Malcolm Offord elected via the West of Scotland list.
1 sourceacross 1 articleReform UK's best hope for a constituency victory was in Banffshire and Buchan Coast, but they lost to the SNP by 364 votes.
1 sourceacross 1 article