SNP wins Scottish election as Reform and Labour tie for second

SNP wins Scottish election as Reform and Labour tie for second12 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleAngus CochraneSenior political journalist, BBC ScotlandPA MediaJohn Swinney is set to continue as Scotland's first minister The SNP has won a fifth successive Scottish Parliament election, but fallen short of its target of an overall majority at Holyrood. The party won 58 seats, with 65 needed for a majority. Labour, who not so long ago harboured ambitions of toppling the SNP, finished a distant second on 17 seats - tied with Reform, who made their electoral breakthrough in Scotland.The Scottish Greens won a record 15 seats - including their first ever constituency victories. The Conservatives lost their position as the parliament's largest opposition party, suffering their worst-ever Holyrood election result to finish with 12 seats. The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, returned 10 MSPs.Leader John Swinney had said an SNP majority could pave the way for another independence referendum. Overall, there is a majority of parties at Holyrood who support Scottish independence - with the SNP and the Greens totalling 73 of the 129 seats.While the SNP is expected to return to government, it will have to rely on help from other parties to pass legislation and reinstall Swinney as first minister.The SNP leader told BBC Scotland News that his party had won the Holyrood election "hands down".As a result of this "commanding position", he added "the public expectation will be for me to be returned as first minister and to lead a government".Getty ImagesMalcolm Offord won a seat on the West of Scotland list Along with an SNP victory, it had long been predicted that Reform UK - led in Scotland by former Tory peer Malcolm Offord - would become a major force at Holyrood. The party, promising tax cuts and action to curb immigration, had never had an MSP elected before - previous MSPs had defected from other parties. Reform's best hope...