Scotland's newest MSPs have arrived for their first day at Holyrood following last week's election. Some 64 new faces will walk the halls of the Edinburgh parliament after Friday's results, but little is expected to change politically.
Election Outcome
The SNP continued its domination of Holyrood, winning 58 seats. Labour and Reform UK secured 17 seats each, while the Greens won 15. The Scottish Greens have regularly backed the SNP-led government's plans in recent years, and their record number of MSPs returns yet another pro-independence majority. The Scottish Conservatives slumped to 12 seats, while the Liberal Democrats increased their share to 10.
New Faces and Reactions
One of the newly-elected members is current SNP MP Stephen Gethins, who is set to resign his Arbroath and Broughty Ferry seat at Westminster to sit in Holyrood. Speaking to journalists, Mr Gethins expressed hope that Scotland would become independent during this parliamentary term. 'I’ve seen the huge amounts of damage at Westminster, Brexit – £250 million a day it’s costing the taxpayer… cost of living having an impact on our public services as well,' he said. 'This is a Parliament that delivers for the people of Scotland – Westminster isn’t.'
New Liberal Democrat MSP Adam Harley said he wanted to 'hit the ground running' and restore faith in the system. 'I think, first and foremost… it’s to restore a bit of faith if I can locally, certainly,' he said. 'I did a lot of door knocking over the course of the last year and that word ‘scunnered’ I think became a word for the campaign.'
Newly-elected SNP MSP Jack Middleton, a former special adviser to both Humza Yousaf and John Swinney, described the SNP's win as 'resounding' and 'a huge endorsement of John Swinney’s strong leadership'. Asked about a possible junior ministerial role, Mr Middleton said his 'top priority is going to be standing up for the people of Aberdeen Central'.
