Donald Trump Congratulates John Swinney After SNP Wins Record Fifth Holyrood Election

John Swinney was congratulated for his re-election as First Minister of Scotland after the SNP secured a record fifth consecutive Scottish Parliament election victory and won 58 of Holyrood’s 129 seats.

“- Published Devolution was designed by Labour and delivered by Labour but the political era it ushered in has been dominated by the Scottish National Party”

BBC

The BBC said Swinney told it his party had won the election "hands down" and described the margin as "significant and emphatic," while the Guardian reported the SNP secured a record fifth term in office on Friday.

BBC

Counting stretched for more than 16 hours, with Labour and Reform UK tied on 17 seats each after Highlands council finished its regional list count at 1.10am on Saturday.

The Independent reported the SNP fell short of the overall majority Swinney wanted, with 58 MSPs compared with the 64 the party won in 2021, while the BBC said the SNP’s vote share fell as its total number of seats dropped from 64 to 58.

The BBC also said the SNP’s pro-independence majority comprised 58 SNP MSPs and 15 Scottish Greens, leaving Labour and Reform UK tied on 17 apiece.

In a Truth Social post early on Saturday, US President Donald Trump congratulated Swinney on winning his re-election for First Minister of Scotland, saying: "Congratulations to John Swinney on winning his re-election for First Minister of Scotland."

The National Scot said Trump added that Swinney worked "along with the King and Queen of the United Kingdom" on "Tariff relief for Great Scottish Whiskey," while Labour attacked Swinney for "taking credit" for the policy move.

The Guardian

The Independent reported Swinney told the under-pressure Prime Minister there was a "lot of listening to do" and called for respect between the two governments, after Labour recorded its worst ever Holyrood result.

The Guardian said Swinney challenged Keir Starmer to show "greater respect" to the Scottish government after winning the Holyrood elections by a comfortable margin.

Speaking to the BBC, Swinney said: "They have got a lot of listening to do, to the fact that Labour have been hammered here in Scotland" and added that "Scotland needs respect as a consequence of that election outcome."

The Guardian said the Scottish Greens’ record haul of 15 seats left Holyrood with a pro-independence majority, even though Swinney fell short of winning the overall SNP majority he argued would be a mandate for holding a second independence referendum.

“John Swinney declared the SNP has “emphatically” won the election, and a fifth term in power in Scotland, as Labour recorded its worst ever Holyrood result and tied for second place with Reform UK”

The Independent

The Independent reported that Lorna Slater unseated Angus Robertson in Edinburgh Central, and that Slater’s win gave the Greens their first Scottish constituency seat while Robertson lost his revised Edinburgh Central seat.

The BBC said the Greens also took Glasgow Southside, the seat vacated by former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, and described Swinney as comfortable with minority government and negotiating with most rivals on an issue-by-issue basis.

The Guardian reported Swinney hinted he no longer plans to vigorously pursue that referendum proposal and said it was now incumbent on the UK government to treat the Scottish government as partners rather than opponents.

Looking ahead, the BBC said the next general election must be held by August 2029 and described how the independence issue may return to the agenda, while the Independent said Swinney called for respect after Labour was "hammered in Scotland" and an SNP government was "emphatically returned to office."