This event page for the Scottish results from the 2010 general election is now closed 0548 This live event page must now close. There are two seats to declare in Scotland. The results can be followed at
the BBC Scotland news website.
Full results are available
here.
0506 On the votes declared so far (57 out of 59), Labour has increased its share of the vote in Scotland by 2.6%. The SNP had the second largest percentage of the vote, up 2.3% to 20%. The Lib Dems, despite maintaining the same number of MPs, has seen a 3.8% drop in its share of the vote. The Tories were up 1% at 16.7% in Scotland, a result which returned them one single MP. 0504 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "Labour has held the marginal constituency of Edinburgh South - the Lib Dems' top target seat - after a re-count. Labour's majority here was 405 over the Lib Dems in 2005 - that's been cut back further to 316. But, in the end, voters returned Ian Murray as the new Labour MP for Edinburgh South. 0501 The two final seats to declare were both Liberal Democrat in the last parliament. If the Lib Dems hold these seats, the Scottish election landscape will be exactly the same as 2005. Labour's two by-election defeats - Dunfermline & West Fife and Glasgow East - have been cancelled out in this vote. 0457 Just two seats of the 59 seats have not yet declared in Scotland. Argyll and Bute will not start counting until later. Orkney and Shetland due soon. Labour have 41 seats in Scotland; the Liberal Democrats have nine; the SNP have six and the Tories have one. 0454 Labour hold Edinburgh South with a majority of just 316, the smallest in Scotland. Ian Murray is the new MP. He replaces Labour MP Nigel Griffiths, who stood down after scandals over his private life and his expenses. 0453 RESULT Edinburgh South - Labour hold. 0452 SNP leader Alex Salmond says it's "blatantly obvious" that people in Scotland had voted against the Conservative Party, and challenged their mandate to govern north of the border. 0450 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: Charles Kennedy is back as MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber. The former UK Liberal Democrat leader first entered parliament as the youngest in his class back in 1983. The then 23-year-old Glasgow University graduate won against the Tories and was the only SDP MP who had not defected from Labour. 0441 RESULT Ross, Skye & Lochaber - Liberal democrat hold. Former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy returns with a 13,000 majority.
0432 BBC Scotland political editor
Brian Taylor blogs
: "Is there a Celtic factor at play? No. Scotland's results are distinctive but the picture in Wales is comparable to that in England. In Wales, the Labour vote is down while the Tories' vote is up. In Wales, the Lib Dems have added votes at much the same pace as in England. Scotland? Labour up. Tories up in share - but only a wee bit. Lib Dems down. More, Plaid are down in Wales, SNP up in Scotland." 0431 RESULT Aberdeen North - Labour hold. 0430 SNP leader Alex Salmond tells the BBC it is safe to assume they won't hit their target of 20 seats, yet he is pleased with the party's share of the Westminster vote. 0424 There are five seats still to declare in Scotland. Argyll and Bute will not begin counting until later this morning. The others are Ross, Skye & Lochaber; Aberdeen North; Orkney & Shetland; and Edinburgh South, where there is a recount. 0419 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "The Lib Dems' Danny Alexander has held Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey after winning it from Labour in 2005 (on re-drawn boundaries). Mr Alexander is an up-and-comer in the party - he is currently leader Nick Clegg's chief of staff." 0419 RESULT Gordon - Liberal Democrat hold. 0416 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "The SNP has failed to win its top target seat of Ochil and Perthshire South. Labour's Gordon Banks, who had a majority of only 688 in the last parliament, has held the seat with a hugely increased majority of 5,187." 0414 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "Labour has held Dumfries and Galloway, the Tories' number three target seat. In the end, Russell Brown was returned with a 7,449 vote majority, leaving all his rivals trailing." 0412 RESULT Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey - Liberal Democrat hold. Nick Clegg's cheif of staff, Danny Alexander, holds the seat comfortably, with a majority of 8,765. 0409 RECAP That's 51 out of 59 seats in Scotland declared. Labour have 38, SNP have six, the Lib Dems have six, and the Tories have one. All seats have gone the same way as the 2005 general election. Labour has won back the two seats it lost at by-elections - Dunfermline & West Fife and Glasgow East. 0408 RESULT Aberdeen West and Kincardine - Liberal Democrat hold. 0407 From Andrew Black: "SNP leader Alex Salmond may have stepped down as MP for Banff and Buchan, but his legacy of making the seat a pretty safe one has continued on to the constituency's new Nationalist member of parliament, Eilidh Whiteford." 0406 RESULT Ochil and South Perthshire - Labour hold. 0405 RESULT Dumfries and Galloway - Labour hold. 0403 Recount in Edinburgh South. This could be the closest seat in Scotland. A three-way marginal.
0401 From Andrew Black: "Although the David Bowie song "Rebel Rebel" wasn't written about Katy Clark, the Labour MP, who has been returned as the representative for Ayrshire North and Arran has her moments. She has previously gone against the government on issues including terror detention limit extension and Trident nuclear weapons." 0358 Labour's share of the vote in Scotland has increased on results declared so far. They have 45% of the vote, up 3%. The SNP have 20% of the vote, up 2%. The Lib Dems are the biggest casualties in Scotland, down 4% to 16%. The Tories have made a small gain of 1% in Scotland, to 16%. Labour's Scottish results are in contrast to the voting south of the border. 0355 RESULT Banff and Buchan - SNP hold. Eilidh Whiteford replaces SNP leader Alex Salmond in the seat. 0355 From Andrew Black: "More from the world of the Liberal Democrats now, and the party has held on in one of its safest seats, Edinburgh West. They've also held Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, in their Highland heartlands, meaning a return to Westminster for the man with the best moustache in politics, Lord John Thurso."
0353 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "David Mundell is returned as the Conservative MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale. It's possible he might be secretary of state for Scotland before the week is out, but he's cutting a lonely figure at the moment, as the Tories have yet to make any further breakthroughs in Scotland." 0352 RESULT Ayrshire North and Arran - Labour hold. 0350 Alistair Darling says Labour has had a good night in Scotland. The situation is "mixed" south of the border, he says. At the moment, we don't know what the final picture will be like, Mr Darling says. 0347 RESULT Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale. Conservative hold. David Mundell retains the only seat the Tories had in Scotland at the last general election. At this stage, with 48 out of 59 seats declared in Scotland, it is still their only seat.
0343 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland Political Reporter: "Down in the Tories' South of Scotland heartland, the party has not managed to break through in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, which has been held by deputy Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Michael Moore. The equivalent Scottish Parliament seat was won by the Tories from the Lib Dems in 2007 - the Tories even put up the same candidate, John Lamont, this time round, but he couldn't break through." 0340 RESULT Aberdeen South - Labour hold. 0339 RESULT Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock. Labour hold. Sandra Osborne wins with a majority of 9,911. 0337 RESULT Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross - Liberal Democrat hold. John Thurso returned with a majority of 4,826. 0335 RESULT Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk - Liberal Democrat hold. Michael Moore holds on with a majority 5,675. 0334 RESULT Edinburgh West - Liberal Democrat hold. Michael Crockart wins with a majority of 3,803. 0333 Delay in Aberdeen South declaration. Rumours of a mix-up in ballot papers between the Green Party and a candidate named Green. 0327 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "And after the boost of Dunbartonshire East comes some bad news for the Liberal Democrats, who have failed to take one of their top target seats, Edinburgh North & Leith, from Labour. The Lib Dems came reasonably close, achieving a 0.7% swing away from Labour, but in the end, Mark Lazarowicz has been returned with a 1,724 vote majority." 0324 RECAP We have had 40 of the 59 seats declared in Scotland. Labour have 33, the SNP have five and the Lib Dems two. All seats which have declared so far have returned the same party as the 2005 general election. The two seats which Labour lost in by-elections - Dunfermline & West Fife and Glasgow East - have been recovered by them. 0322 RESULT Ayrshire Central - Labour hold 0318 RESULT Glasgow North East - Labour hold. Willie Bain, who won a by-election last year (after Speaker Michael Martin stood down), has held the seat with a majority of 15,942. 0317 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: Some good news for the Liberal Democrats, as the party holds Dunbartonshire East, the seat they took from Labour in 2005. The returning MP is Jo Swinson, who has managed to build herself a decent media profile in her first five years as an MP, with appearances on shows such as Question Time. 0316 RESULT Edinburgh North and Leith - Labour hold
0313 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "The current chancellor, Alistair Darling, is returned as MP for Edinburgh South West, winning a total of 19,473 votes, compared to the Conservatives' 11,026 votes, in a seat where the Tories had hoped to make a good impact." 0312 RESULT Glasgow North West - Labour hold 0308 RESULT East Dunbartonshire - Liberal Democrat hold. 0307 RESULT Edinburgh South West - Labour hold. Chancellor Alistair Darling holds with a majority of 8,447.
0304 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "Labour has held Glasgow South, no great surprise there, although it is worth pointing out that the returning MP, Tom Harris, is no fan of Gordon Brown. In fact, he was the first Scottish Labour MP to call on Mr Brown to quit as prime minister." 0259 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson has held his seat of Moray, in the north east. No great surprise here - this constituency is pretty solid territory for the Scottish National Party." 0257 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "The Liberal Democrats really fancied their chances in Glasgow North, but it wasn't to be on the night. Labour's Ann McKechin, a Scotland Office minister (for the time-being anyway) hung on in there, with a 3,898 majority, while the Lib Dems' Katy Gordon, who had campaigned hard in the constituency, came second. 0256 RESULT Moray - SNP hold 0253 RECAP There have been 33 of 59 seats declared in Scotland. Labour has 28, the SNP four and the Lib Dems one. The only seats to change hands are Dunfermline & West Fife and Glasgow East. Labour won both seats back after losing them at by-elections during the previous parliament. 0252 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: Just a quick re-cap of some earlier results. International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander, aka Labour's election co-ordinator and brother of MSP Wendy, has held the seat of Paisley and Renfrewshire South. The party has also held Airdrie and Shotts with the election of another new MP, 25-year-old Pamela Nash, who worked for the seat's previous incumbent, Labour cabinet stalwart John Reid. 0251 RESULT Glasgow South - Labour hold 0250 RESULT Dunbartonshire West - Labour hold 0249 RESULT Edinburgh East - Labour hold 0247 RESULT Glasgow South West - Labour hold 0242 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "Jim Murphy has held East Renfrewshire for Labour, meaning more bad news for the Tories, who put a big effort into winning this seat, which was on the party's list of top targets. Mr Murphy is still Secretary of State for Scotland, but could he be handing the job over to the Tories' David Mundell? Watch this space ... 0239 RESULT East Renfrewshire - Labour's Jim Murphy holds the seat, with 25,987 votes. His majority of 10,420 over the Conservatives, who had hoped to take the seat.
0237 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "The Tories have failed to take one of their top target seats of Perth and North Perthshire. The SNP's Pete Wishart (who used to be in the band Runrig) has held the seat and has really boosted his majority, from 1,521 to 4,379. This result means things might not be looking great for the Conservatives' drive to win 11 Scottish seats." 0234 RESULT Glasgow North - Labour hold 0233 RESULT Perth and Perthshire North - SNP hold
0229 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "Labour has held Glasgow Central and has seen the seat pass from father to son, as Anas Sarwar takes over from Mohammad Sarwar, the successful businessman who became Britain's first Muslim MP. Labour also holds Stirling, even though the SNP took the seat in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election." 0228 Duncan Kirkhope at Glasgow count: "Margaret Curran and other candidates in Glasgow East refuse to share platform with BNP candidate - none of them make speeches. Disturbances in the hall afterwards." 0227 RESULT Paisley and Renfrewshire North - Labour hold 0226 RESULT Linlithgow and Falkirk East - Labour hold 0225 Brian Taylor says a "good night" for Labour in Scotland.
0224 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: Labour has held Livingston, with the former local council leader Graeme Morrice becoming the new MP for the constituency. The former MP here, Jim Devine, was deselected over his expenses claims, after he won the seat in a by-election following the death of former foreign secretary Robin Cook. 0223 RESULTMidlothian - Labour hold. 0222 RESULT Stirling - Labour hold
0220 BBC Scotland political editor Brian Taylor says: "As billed, Stewart Hosie returned in Dundee East. Indeed registers a swing in his favour. Overall, though, obvious that the party will not achieve target of 20 seats, as acknowledged now by Mike Russell." 0218 RESULT Glasgow Central - Labour hold. The seat passes from father to son. Mohammad Sarwar has stood down and his son Anas Sarwar wins the seat with a majority of 10,551. 0217 RESULTAirdrie and Shotts - Labour hold. 0216 RESULT Livingston - Labour hold. 0215 RESULT Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East - Labour hold. 0214 RESULT Dundee East - SNP hold. 0212 RESULT Paisley and Renfrewshire South - Labour hold. Douglas Alexander returns with a majority of 16,614. 0211 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: "The SNP has failed to win its number two target seat of Dundee West, where Labour's Jim McGovern has held on in the only part of the city the Nationalists don't hold at Westminster and Holyrood level."
0210 Brian Taylor says: "That is a remarkable result for Labour in Dunfermline. The widespread view - and I mean widespread among politicians as well as pundits - was that Willie Rennie had done enough to entrench himself since the by-election. He put on votes from the last General Election but not enough to win."
0208 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: Labour has regained the seat of Glasgow East, which it lost to the SNP's John Mason in July 2008, in one of the biggest by-election upsets in recent memory. The Nationalists overturned a Labour majority of 13,507 votes - at the time the party's third-safest Scottish seat - to win with a slim 365-vote majority. The new MP here is Margaret Curran, who is currently the MSP for Glasgow Baillieston and a former Scottish minister. She has been elected with a majority of 11,840. The SNP's campaign in this seat focused on the party's message to "clean up politics" and homed in on claims that Glasgow City Council's Labour administration, which recently saw the resignation of Steven Purcell as leader on health grounds, was failing to deliver for the city. 0207 Labour has won back both the seats it lost in by-elections during the last parliament. 0206 RESULT Glasgow East - Labour win. The SNP fail to hold the seat they won at a by-election. 0205 RESULT Inverclyde - Labour hold 0204 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: Labour holds Kilmarnock and Loudoun, and the new MP is former Scottish justice minister, former deputy Scottish Labour leader and current MSP Cathy Jamieson, who has increased her party's majority in the seat. Her predecessor is former UK defence and Scottish secretary Des Browne, who latterly spoke at the Iraq inquiry of the personal strain he felt when members of the British armed forces were killed in the conflict. 0202 RESULT Dunfermline and West Fife - Labour win. Bad news for the Lib Dems. Willie Rennie failing to hold on to the seat he won in a by-election. 0201 RESULTAngus - SNP hold 0200 SNP leader Alex Salmond tells the BBC that Scots have a bad habit of thinking they can stop the Tories getting in south of the border by voting for Labour in Scotland. 0159 RESULT Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill - Labour hold.
0156 BBC Scotland's
political editor Brian Taylor blogs:
"And so Gordon Brown is duly re-elected as the MP for Kirkcaldy. But will he still be PM by the weekend? Signs are that Labour is doing relatively well in Scotland - but that there are swings against Labour across England." 0155 RESULT Falkirk - Labour hold. 0153 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: Labour breathes a collective sigh of relief as it holds East Lothian. Labour's last MP here, Anne Moffat, was deselected just before the start of the election campaign following a very bitter and public battle between her and the party. The other parties piled in here in the hope of a steal, but, in the event, Labour majority increased from 7,620 to 12,258. 0151 RESULT Kilmarnock and Loudoun - Labour hold. 0150 RESULT Glenrothes - Labour hold. 0149 In East Lothian, the new MP is Labour's Fiona O'Donnell. She took 44.6% of the vote and had a majority of 12,258. 0148 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: The SNP has held the Western Isles, which it won from Labour in the 2005 election. A bit disappointing for Labour this, given it was in their top 10 list of target seats. Incidentally, the Western Isles was the first seat ever won by the SNP in a general election, which it did in 1970. 0146 The SNP's Michael Russell says there is a pattern in Scotland of voters "going home" to Labour in order to keep out a Tory government. He says that unfortunately that was not going to work and the SNP will be needed more than ever. 0144 RESULT Dundee West - Labour hold. The SNP come 7,000 behind in what was a target seat. 0143 RESULT East Lothian - Labour hold.
0141 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: Gordon Brown, (current) Prime Minister, holds his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath seat with a majority of 23,009 - up on the 18,216 of 2005 - but will he be returning to Westminster as a backbench MP? And staying in the same part of the world, former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell has held his seat of North East Fife. 0140 Conservative MSP David McLetchie has conceded his party will not win Edinburgh South West from Chancellor Alistair Darling. At the count in the capital, he also wrote off the chances of beating Labour in Edinburgh South against competition from the Lib Dems. 0139 RESULT Lanark & Hamilton East - Labour hold. 0137 RESULT Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles) - Scottish National Party hold.
0135 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: Another hold for Labour in East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow, again not very surprising, given this is safe Labour territory. And the party may be the same, but Scotland has another new MP in this seat, in the form of Michael McCann. His predecessor is Adam Ingram, the former armed forces minister who dealt with much of the controversy of the Iraq war and one of several Scottish Labour big guns who decided to call it a day at this election. 0133 RESULT Gordon Brown holds Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath for Labour. 0132 RESULT FIFE NORTH EAST - Lib Dems hold. Menzies Campbell has majority of 9,048. 0129 RESULT East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow - Labour hold
0119 From Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: Labour's Frank Roy has held another key west Scotland seat - Motherwell and Wishaw. This is the part of the world was formerly occupied by the Ravenscraig steelworks, whose closure under the previous Tory government was a key part of Labour's election campaign in Scotland, as they sought to press home the perceived danger of the Conservatives regaining power. 0115 Labour got 61.1% of the vote in the Motherwell and Wishaw seat. A 16,806 majority for Labour. 0114 RESULT Labour hold Motherwell and Wishaw. 0113 The Electoral Commission say they are not aware of there being any problems in Scotland, regarding people being unable to vote. 0111 Labour got 60.8% of the vote in Rutherglen and Hamilton West. There was a swing of 1.5% from the SNP to Labour. The Lib Dems went from second to third. Turnout 61.5%.
0108 Andrew Black, BBC Scotland political reporter: And the first Scottish seat to declare is Rutherglen and Hamilton West. Labour's held this seat, in its west of Scotland heartland, with a majority of 21,002 - that's well up on its majority of 16,112 in 2005. And with this result we have a brand new MP too - Tom Greatrex - a former adviser to Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy. Will Mr Murphy still have a job? We'll find out later. The former MP in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Tommy McAvoy, holds the record as the longest-serving government whip of all time, racking up 13 years in the job. 0106 First Scottish result RUTHERGLEN AND HAMILTON WEST - LABOUR HOLD 0104 Barometer seat Kingswood has gone to the Tories. They needed a 6.9% swing to win the seat, the same as they are said to need for an overall majority. The Tories got a swing of almost 9%. 0101 The total number of votes cast in East Renfrewshire is 51,258. That's a turnout of 77.4%. 0100 In Wales, Plaid Cymru have taken a seat from Labour. 0057 The BBC's Angela Soave is at the count for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk. She says there are a lot of Liberal Democrat smiles, despite a strong campaign from the Tories in the area. 0054 Labour has held Durham North and also Darlington. But again the swing from Labour to the Tories has been about 9%. A big swing and more than the Conservatives would need for an overall majority. 0050 From James Cook: Gordon Brown is said to be "very concerned" about the reports of people being turned away from polling stations and "would support a thorough investigation into them" according to his spokesman. 0049 Electoral Commission spokeswoman on BBC1 says returning officers will 'have to answer to us for the decisions they have made'. 0046 SNP leader Alex Salmond says the problems with the vote in England could be worse than the last Scottish Parliament elections. The difficulties were caused by higher than expected turnout late in the day. Many people queued for a long time before being turned away from polling places. Mr Salmond says it is a "third-world" version of democracy. No reports of problems with voting in Scotland. 0043 BBC Scotland's Raymond Buchanan: Gordon Brown's election agent says the prime minister is in a good mood and it looks like he may increase his share of the vote in his Kirkcaldy seat. 0041 Labour MSP Dave Whitton says his party's election campaign was "not especially good". But he added in the latter days of the campaign, Gordon Brown was rejuvenated because he had got the last of the TV debates out of the way, which he was never entirely comfortable with. 0040 SNP leader arrives at the count in Aberdeen. Mr Salmond is not standing in this election. The former Banff and Buchan MP has given up his Westminster seat after 23 years to concentrate on his role as Scotland's first minister. 0035 Willie Johnston in Dumfries says Tories are "quietly confident" of holding their one Scottish seat of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale. The other seat in the south of Scotland - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk - appears less likely to be a Tory gain from the Lib Dems. 0033 RECAP No results in Scotland yet. First one expected to be Dunfermline in next half hour. Three results across UK. All Labour holds at Sunderland count. Tory vote up despite losses. 0031 BBC Scotland's Hayley Millar in East Renfrewshire says they are waiting for some postal ballots to arrive for verification. She says the SNP are reporting that they have been squeezed out by people voting Labour in order to defeat the Tories in the seat. The SNP says people will come back to them for the Scottish Parliament elections. 0029 BBC Scotland's Julie Peacock in Dunfermline and West Fife: SNP say their vote has been squeezed out. Party agents say it has become a two-horse race between Labour and Lib Dems. 0026 The SNP's Michael Russell says John Mason has been a "fantastic" MP in Glasgow East, which was once one of Labour's safest seats. He says it has been a difficult campaign for the SNP and accuses the BBC of conspiring with the three main parties to "distort" the vote in Scotland (by excluding the SNP from the prime ministerial debates). 0025 BBC Scotland's Laura Bicker says Labour "confident" of winning back Glasgow East from the SNP. She says Glasgow North is very close, with the Lib Dems hoping to take that from Labour. First declaration at about 0230 BST in Glasgow, she says. 0020 Gordon Brown arrives at the count in his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath seat. 0019 BBC Scotland's Miranda Hurst says 59.4% turnout in Dundee West. 0017 Lib Dem MSP Iain Smith says the exit poll, which predicts his party would win 61 seats, was "probably a bit wrong" because it was taken at 1900 BST, and he said all the indications were that turnout was high after that. 0014 Turnout in Stirling is 71%, says BBC Scotland's Sally McNair. The Tories need a swing of about 5% to take the seat from Labour. 0013 Turnout figure for Dunfermline and West Fife is almost 67% - up about 7% on 2005. 0010 BBC Scotland's Gillian Millar in East Renfrewshire: SNP spokesperson says he believes they are looking at third place in the seat.
0008 BBC Scotland political editor Brian Taylor says the problems with voters being turned away from polling places in parts of England have all the hallmarks of a "bourach". The Electoral Commission has announced an investigation into why people were being turned away at 2200 BST without having been able to vote. 0004 Conservative MSP Bill Aitken says Labour seems to have had the biggest seat loss since 1933. He says the swing to the Tories in the three results which have so far been declared was "very much higher" than what the exit polls were showing.
2355 The BBC's Lorna Gordon in Edinburgh says the turnout in Edinburgh South is very high. The constituency is the main target of the Lib Dems. It is a potential three-way marginal, but Labour is defending a majority of 405 votes from second-placed Lib Dems. It probably won't help Labour's case that Nigel Griffiths, who held the seat for more than 20 years, has quit after some lurid allegations about his private life and issues with his expenses claims. 2350 Brian Taylor has his election ice cream cart out. No results yet so looking back at 2005. Labour had 41 seats (including Speaker Michael Martin), the Lib Dems had 11, the SNP had six seats, the Tories had just one. Two have changed in by-elections since. Dunfermline West was gained by Lib Dems and the SNP took Glasgow East. 2346 Brian Taylor reports trouble at polling places around England. Hackney in London has had police called. Reports of 500 people turned away from a polling place in Sheffield. Trouble also in Manchester and Liverpool. 2343 Labour to Tory swing in Sunderland Central is 4.8%. Slightly less than the previous two results. Prof Alice Brown says that kind of swing would see them with less than an overall majority. BBC Scotland political editor Brian Taylor says it is strange that the swing to the Tories was higher in the safer Labour seats. Once again this is the third result out of 650, so hard to see a trend. 2341 Third UK result. Sunderland Central. Labour hold. 2340 Daily Telegraph Scottish editor Alan Cochrane says no-one believes the exit polls. 2338 The Tories are predicting they will eat substantially in to the SNP majority in Alex Salmond's former constituency of Banff and Buchan. The Tory candidate is Jimmy Buchan - star of BBC series "Trawlermen". 2330 Glasgow North East candidate for the Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, says the result will be "tight" and doesn't expect a result tonight. She says it will come "well into tomorrow". 2328 Labour hold Washington with a big majority. But the swing from Labour to the Tories was 11.6%. Bigger than the swing in the neighbouring constituency. The Conservatives need 6.9% swing across the country for an overall majority. Brian Taylor says it is a "big swing". It is only two seats but the Tories would win by the "length of Whitehall" if this were repeated across the country, he says. 2326 Second UK result of the night: Washington and Sunderland West. Labour hold. 2319 Conservative candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, David Mundell, says the one thing that is clear is that the Labour Party have lost the election. He added: "I don't think there's any doubt the TV debates changed the dynamic. The public focused their decision-making on waiting for the outcome of the next debate." 2317 Brian Taylor says returning officer for Sheffield says "we got it wrong". Large number of students turned up without ballot cards which slowed down the process, he said. Hundreds were prevented from voting. 2313 BBC Scotland's Julie Peacock says Dunfermline and West Fife could declare at about 0045 BST. This is the seat the Lib Dems won from Labour at a by-election. Lib Dems "confident" of retaining the seat. 2310 Tom Aitchison, the returning officer at Edinburgh's Meadowbank Sports Centre, says new legal requirements over verifying signatures on postal votes could delay the result by between 90 minutes and two hours. He said there was 30% more staff counting this year than 2005, to cope with the change. He predicts the first declaration in Edinburgh to come at about 0300 BST. 2306 Reports from around UK of people not getting to vote because there were big queues as polls closed at 2200 BST. Some polling places have had lock-ins. People who were in by 2200 BST. Allowed to queue and vote. No reports of such problems in Scotland.
2303 BBC Scotland political editor Brian Taylor says exit poll has been tweaked slightly as more information becomes available. Conservatives 305, Labour 255, Lib Dems 61, Others 29. WARNING: All polls have a small margin of error which could be significant in a tight election like this. 2302 Nicola Sturgeon says Sunderland South was "not a target seat for the SNP". She warns against reading too much into one result. 2258 Murdo Fraser of the Tories is pleased with the 8.4% swing from Labour to Conservatives in Houghton and Sunderland South. He says it was not a target seat for Tories. Murdo Fraser says Tories need 6.9% swing across the UK to get an overall majority. 2256 Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray says he thinks turnout has gone up because it is a "contentious" election. He also says he thinks the exit poll results are "strange". 2254 Labour majority of almost 11,000 in Sunderland South but big rise in Conservative vote - up by about 5,000. 2252 First UK result of the night. Houghton and Sunderland South - Labour hold. 2250 No Scottish results expected until 0100 BST. Sunderland could be first UK result fairly soon. 2247 Minor diplomatic incident averted in Aberdeen when a gentleman was refused entry to the count for not having a pass. He was let in when he pointed out that he was an independent observer from the Electoral Commission. 2241 This election is equally notable for the absence of some big hitters who have decided to call it a day at Westminster. These include Labour cabinet stalwart John Reid, former defence secretary Des Browne and SNP leader Alex Salmond, who is giving up Westminster to concentrate on his day job of being Scottish first minister. 2239 A number of political big hitters are fighting to keep their seats in Scotland. The biggest of all is Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is standing in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. Douglas Alexander, Labour's election co-ordinator and international development secretary is standing in Paisley and Renfrewshire South. Chancellor Alistair Darling, in Edinburgh South West, and Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, in East Renfrewshire, are both being targeted by the Tories. 2235 BBC Scotland's Tim Reid says exit poll suggests the Conservatives will have just one seat in Scotland, the same as 2005. Labour could be up two in Scotland. WARNING: All polls have a small margin of error which could be significant in a tight election like this. 2231 Peter Mandelson tells Radio Scotland if exit polls are correct, Brown will stay at No. 10. 2224 Nicola Sturgeon (SNP) said minority government was better than coalition. A minority government is forced to build consensus, she says. Douglas Alexander (Labour) said the minority government in Scotland had been stable but at the cost of its legislative programme. He says he supports strong and sustainable government. 2220 Murdo Fraser of the Conservatives says it is far better to have a majority government. He says the country is not used to a hung parliament. Tavish Scott of the Lib Dems said majority government had done nothing for the UK. The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon said her minority government in Scotland had been "a success". 2208 There have been lots of boundary changes in England since 2005, indeed there are four more seats. Scotland stays the same as the 2005 general election so we can make direct comparisons between the two elections. 2207 At the 2005 general election, Labour won 41 seats, the Lib Dems won 11, the Scottish National Party won six and the Scottish Conservatives won one. Labour has since lost two seats in by-elections - to the Lib Dems and the SNP. 2201 BBC exit poll for the whole UK predicts: Conservative 307, Labour 255, Lib Dem 59 and Others 29. WARNING: All polls have a small margin of error which could be significant in a tight election like this where the three main Westminster parties have been so close in the opinion polls. And there could be different voting patterns around the country. Something we'll be watching out for. 2200 BST The polls have closed. We hope to get 58 of the 59 Scottish constituencies during the night. One seat - Argyll and Bute, will not be counting until Friday morning. 2155 BBC Scotland's TV coverage of the election results has begun. 2152 In 2005, turnout in Scotland averaged out at about the 60% mark. The seat where most people voted last time was Dunbartonshire East - 73.1%. The poorest turnout was in Glasgow. In Glasgow Central, 43.9% of eligible voters cast their vote. 2148 People in Scotland have been out voting since the polls opened at 0700 BST. There are 3,869,700 eligible voters in Scotland, according to official figures from December 2009, although that figure will have increased since then. 2138 The Rutherglen and East Kilbride seats may well be the first to declare, possibly at about 0115 BST. 2134 There are 59 seats up for grabs in Scotland. 2129 Derek Bateman and Nick Rougvie will keep Radio Scotland listeners informed. 2120 The polls close at 2200 BST. A special election programme, hosted by Glenn Campbell, with Jackie Bird and Brian Taylor, will be broadcast on BBC One Scotland from 2155 BST. 2115 Welcome to the BBC Scotland news website's coverage of the 2010 general election results. This page will be updated throughout the night with results and analysis from across Scotland.
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