The first meeting of the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament will take place on Thursday 13 May.
Writing to party leaders following the weekend election count, the Parliament’s Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Ken Macintosh, has announced that newly elected MSPs will be sworn in on Thursday 13 May. The elections for the Parliament’s new Presiding Officer will also take place that day.
The Presiding Officer has the power to set the date under the Scottish General Election (Coronavirus) Act 2021. In deciding on the date the Parliament will first sit, the Presiding Officer consulted with both the Electoral Commission and Electoral Management Board.
Further details of the Parliament’s first days will be issued early this week.
TEXT OF LETTER FROM PRESIDING OFFICER TO PARTY LEADERS
I am writing in relation to my role under Section 9 of the Scottish General Election (Coronavirus) Act 2021 to “fix the day on which the Parliament is first to meet after the poll for the 2021 election”.
Following consultation with the Electoral Commission and Electoral Management Board, as required under the Act, I am pleased to announce that I am now able to fix the date of the first meeting of Parliament as Thursday 13 May, when newly elected Members will be sworn in and elect a new Presiding Officer.
Colleagues can expect to receive further information on the arrangements for both items of business from the Parliamentary Business Team in the coming days.
This date will now be made public and announced in the Business Bulletin.
I understand that this is a time of mixed emotions and fortunes for your parties and candidates. I would however like to take the opportunity to thank you for your support and co-operation throughout the last session and to also pass on my best wishes for whatever the next five years hold for you and your parties and for the Parliament.
The Scottish Parliament Election results for Edinburgh’s six constituencies and the Lothian Region were finally confirmed at the Royal Highland Centre on Saturday evening.
The Members of Scottish Parliament for each constituency and the Lothian Region List results are listed in full below and full details of the results are on the city council’s election pages:
Edinburgh results by constituency:
Edinburgh Central Constituency: Angus Robertson, Scottish National Party
Edinburgh Eastern Constituency: Ash Denham, Scottish National Party
Edinburgh Northern & Leith Constituency: Ben Macpherson, Scottish National Party
Edinburgh Pentlands Constituency: Gordon MacDonald, Scottish National Party
Edinburgh South Constituency: Daniel Johnson, Scottish Labour Party
Edinburgh Western Constituency: Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Lothian Region List Results
(Based on votes from the nine Lothian Region constituencies: Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Eastern, Edinburgh Northern & Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh South, Edinburgh Western, Midlothian North & Musselburgh, Almond Valley and Linlithgow).
Votes cast across region: 395,037. Turnout: 64.2%)
Candidate and Party
Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Alison Johnstone, Scottish Green Party Sue Webber, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Sarah Boyack, Scottish Labour Party Jeremy Balfour, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Foysol Choudhury Scottish Labour Party Lorna Slater, Scottish Green Party.
(3 Conservative, 2 Greens and 2 Labour elected from Lothians list)
Returning Officer Andrew Kerr announced the results for Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Southern and Edinburgh Western on Friday 7 May and the results for Edinburgh Eastern, Edinburgh Pentlands and Edinburgh Northern and Leith as well as the list/Region vote were declared on Saturday 8 May.
He said: “The 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Election has felt very different from previous elections and it is down to the hard work of many Council staff, particularly the Election Team, that this election has run so smoothly in Edinburgh.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved, along with Police Scotland, the candidates and their agents, who have cooperated throughout the process.
“It has been a huge undertaking this year as we’ve had to adapt, putting in extensive additional Covid-19 health and safety measures to help keep everyone involved safe. I would also like to thank the public for turning out in record numbers to have their say, helping to ensure representative vote for the capital.”
This year more than 300 people worked at the election count at the Royal Highland Centre, while a further 900 worked during the day at the city’s 140 polling places.
For further details of the results and the Scottish Parliament Election, please visit the Elections section of the Council website.
SNP’s GORDON MACDONALD has held Edinburgh Pentlands with an increased majority.
His vote was 16,227, a clear victory of 3897 over the Conservatives.
The turnout was an impressive 64.89%.
The result keeps the SNP’s fading hopes of gaining an overall majority alive.
The SNP has yet to lose any of their seats and have won three new constituencies, but these victories are likely to be offset by fewer list seats as a consequence.
As we predicted this morning, the SNP is likely to finish on 63 seats, by far the biggest party – but two short of an outright majority. They will therefore need the support of the Greens to implement their programme for government.
Result in 2016:
GORDON MACDONALD (SNP) 13181; Conservatives 10725; Labour 7811.
SNP hopes of an absolute majority are hanging in the balance this morning as counting continues in the Scottish Parliament elections.
The SNP have gained three seats so far with no other party making any gains. Overnight the SNP sits on 39 seats (+3), the Liberal Democrats four (-), the Tories on three (-2) and Labour on two (-1). The ‘magic number’ for an overall majority is 65.
The final three Edinburgh Constituencies will declare this morning. All three are currently held by the SNP, and while pro-Union tactical voting has undoubtedly been a feature of this year’s election Gordon MacDonald (Pentlands, majority 2456), Ash Denham (Eastern, 5057) and Ben MacPherson (Northern and Leith, 6081) look likely to return to Holyrood.
Gordon MacDonald faces the toughest challenge – from the Tories – and if tactical voting is to feature here, Pentlands could be vulnerable. If there are to be any changes in Edinburgh this afternoon this would be the most likely upset.
Pentlands is due to declare between 5 – 6pm.
But despite being roundly defeated in the vast majority of constituency votes – with a handful of notable exceptions – opposition parties will see their seat numbers increase significantly today when the regional list results, calculated using a proportional representation system, are announced.
Ironically Holyrood’s ‘fair’ hybrid voting system punishes success. Any SNP constituency gains could be wiped out by resultant losses on the regional lists, and it’s not inconceivable that the new Scottish Parliament could look exactly the same as the 2016 one, with the SNP falling just short of an overall majority.
With 31 constituencies still to declare there’s no doubt the SNP will again be the biggest party – quite an achievement in itself – but if the SNP don’t quite win an overall majority, they will need the support of pro-referendum Green MSPs, voted in through the regional lists, to get them over the line.
2016 all over again? We’ll find out this afternoon.
Edinburgh’s count this year will take place over two days at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston. It gets underway at 9am this morning.
Throughout the planning process, our elections team has sought guidance from public health experts, consulting extensively with the Director of Public Health, to make sure the event runs as safely and as smoothly as possible.
Today (Friday 7 May) the results for Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Southern and Edinburgh Western will be announced, while results will be declared for Edinburgh Eastern, Edinburgh Pentlands and Edinburgh Northern and Leith as well as the list/Region vote results tomorrow, Saturday 8 May.
Safety measures in place at the count
Everyone must wear a face covering when moving and circulating within the count venue, unless they are exempt.
Hand sanitising stations will be positioned throughout the venue.
Physical distancing will be in place.
Regular cleaning, including at touch points.
Contact tracing system with all people attending the count.
One-way systems in parts of the building.
Room capacity limits will be in place.
Enhanced ventilation at the venue.
Andrew Kerr, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council and Returning Officer for the Edinburgh constituencies and the Lothian Region, said: The arrangements for the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Election feel very different from previous elections.
“Throughout our preparations our elections team has sought guidance from public health experts and we’ve put in place extensive additional Covid-19 health and safety measures to help keep everyone safe, reduce the risk of spreading the virus and of course protect the integrity of the Election.
“We’re taking all the necessary steps to support the COVID-safe operation of the election count at the Highland Hall. In line with Public Health Scotland (PHS) guidance every effort has been made to make sure the centre is well ventilated, hand-sanitising stations are positioned throughout the venue, facemasks are worn whenever people move about the venue and that everyone observes two-metre physical distancing at all times.
“Count assistants will adhere to two-metre distancing but don’t have to wear a face covering when seated on the count floor.
“The safety of everyone working at the count is of utmost importance and measures will be enforced by our marshalls throughout the duration of the event for the health and safety of everyone present. I want to thank the team for their efforts so far and look forward to delivering a robust process in these unprecedented times.”
The results from the count will be tweeted live from @Edinburgh_cc as they are announced by the Returning Officer, with the hashtag #SPE21RESULT.
Because of COVID-19, there will be safety measures in place at polling stations to help you vote safely (for example, a one-way system or restrictions on the number of people allowed in).
If you choose to vote in person, make sure you:
wear a face covering (unless you’re exempt)
bring your own pen or pencil (there will be clean pencils available at the polling station if you forget to bring your own)
use the hand sanitiser provided when entering and leaving the polling station
Data suggests British Indians are likely to vote Conservative, despite voting Labour in 2019
Research finds younger voters are more inclined to vote for Conservative, despite previously supporting Labour
Only 8% of British Indians feel accurately represented by policymakers and detail their political priorities for local and national Government
Ahead of Thursday’s elections, a new report from the 1928 Institute, a University of Oxford backed think-tank focused on researching and representing the British Indian community, has analysed the political alignment and priorities of British Indians from across the United Kingdom.
Analysis of over 2,300 British Indians across a broad spectrum of migration paths, religious identities, and geographical locations in the United Kingdom found that despite the majority (36%) voting Labour in the 2019 General Elections, the 2021 local elections will see a shift, with British Indians now showing support for Conservative party (33%) and Labour falling behind at 31%.
Demographic split
The report (with fieldwork conducted in August 2020 and December 2020), which investigates and compares the relationship between the political party inclined to support and key demographics: age and location – found that the most sizeable change in voting preference is from those aged between 21 to 50, with 45.9% respondents moving away from Labour resulting in the Conservative party picking up the majority of these voters (48.8%).
However, the analysis found the narrowest gap by age group is 26-30, with just a 2% margin in the Conservative party’s favour. However, further analysis between August and December found a significant increase in those unlikely to vote in this week’s election.
Analysis by location found that in August 2020, British Indians were more likely to vote Labour across most regions, except Scotland, where the Conservative Party took the lead, highlighting that the manifesto of the SNP did not align with the political needs and wants of British Indians.
The regions with the narrowest difference in support between the Labour and Conservative Party are the East of England (4%), followed by Greater London (6%) and the South East (8%).
In December 2020, the majority of British Indians were inclined to vote for the Conservative Party. Although Labour retained support in the North West, South East, West Midlands, British Indians across Yorkshire and Humber are inclined to the Conservative and Labour Parties equally (35% respectively). In addition, in the South West, the Liberal Democrats emerged as the strongest party.
Political disconnect and priorities
When asked if British Indians feel accurately represented by policymakers, only 8% agreed. Many went on to state that historically, the British Indian Diaspora were not vocal about their needs and instead focused on settling into their communities. As a result, feel that current and future generations will continue to be overlooked.
The report highlights five key policy areas British Indians would like to see prioritised by the Government: education (54%), health (52%), environment and climate change (44%), domestic poverty (36%), and equalities and human rights (33%).
When asked why British Indians felt these five areas were important, respondents explained that these areas align with their cultural values of giving back to society, or “Seva”, along with the importance of taking care of the vulnerable.
In addition, 4 in 5 British Indians (84%) want the UK Government to prioritise tackling racism and colonialism.
British Indians stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement calling for resources and capital to promote equality and human rights across all ethnic minorities. Respondents described that they do not find “BAME” a useful concept as the generalisation incorrectly informs the distribution of resources and identity.
Kiran Kaur Manku, Co-Founder of the 1928 Institute and Researcher Fellow at the University of Oxford, said: “This report provides empirical evidence on has found clear patterns between the needs and wants of British Indians.
“Given that almost three in four British Indians do not feel accurately represented by policymakers at and the 1928 Institute, we would like to see the policy priorities and recommendations urgently be implemented.
“British Indians contribute significantly outlined move from conversation to action. The recently issued ‘race report’ whilst finding no institutional racism in the UK and are calling for rational actions to support society: the national curriculum to include Britain’s colonial legacy and impact, and ethnic minorities task-force the United Kingdom has synergies with embedded ethics our research.”
On 6 May voters across Scotland will be called to elect 129 members of the devolved Scottish Parliament for the sixth time in its history (writes Electoral Reform Society’s FEDERICO SCHOLARI).
The Scottish Parliament passes laws on crucial areas of local government, including health, education and transport- as well as some influence on tax and welfare benefits.
Anyone with a Scottish address, registered to vote and aged 16 and over is eligible to vote.
In 2015, Scotland championed the votes at 16 campaign by lowering the voting age to 16 to extend the franchise, allowing more than 100,000 young people to have their say in both parliamentary and local council elections.
73 constituency MSPs are elected from the Westminster-style FPTP ballot paper. The candidate with most votes is elected for each constituency, irrespective of vote share.
56 ‘list’ MSPs (the so-called additional members) are then added from a second ballot paper that includes a list of parties. Additional members are added based on the number of seats a party has won in the first ballot versus their overall vote share, in order to make parliament more proportional and match how voters preferences.
A proportional compromise?
The second ballot paper ensures greater representation, which compensates for the ailments of FPTP. The proportional element is intended to override any disproportionality created by the majoritarian nature of the constituency seats, providing a more proportional parliament while also keeping a single local MSP.
General Elections 2019 (FPTP) vs. Scottish Parliament Elections 2016 (AMS)
Our 2019 report on General Elections shone a light on those voters left voiceless due to disproportionate voting systems- with Scotland delivering some of the most disproportionate results across the UK for Westminster elections.
Under pure FPTP, the Scottish National Party performance was highly disproportionate, with a 22 percentage point increase in seats for an eight-point increase in votes. Some precarious victories occurred, with slim majorities in seats where more than two parties had substantial support.
Contrarily, the 2016 parliamentary elections saw the most proportional results to date under the AMS, which is a substantial improvement over pure FPTP. If the Scottish Parliament elections were conducted under FPTP we’d see one-party domination across Scotland with supporters of the other parties losing out.
Voting Intentions
The most recent polls show the SNP -currently in power- boasting a considerable lead over both Conservatives and Labour. The only notable change from the 2016 elections results sees the Greens gaining some ground over Lib Dems.
Differing areas of political debate include the potential for a new referendum for Scottish independence, post-pandemic economic recovery, climate change policies and more.
The Alba Party
There has been much talk of the launch of Alex Salmond’s pro-independence party, seen by many as an attempt to ‘game’ the AMS system to secure a disproportionate result in favour of pro-independence parties.
Alba, which is only contesting list seats, is pitching itself to pro-independence SNP voters who, due to the SNP’s dominance in the constituency seats, might see their list vote wasted.
But if Alba succeeded in this it’s not because they gamed the system but because enough voters supported them. if a party is popular enough to pick up a decent level of support on the List vote and gain seats, like the Greens did in 2016 and look like doing again, then it isn’t really ‘gaming the system’. The system is designed to provide fair representation for supporters of parties who would not be properly represented under FPTP.
Polls show that it is far from certain that Alba will receive enough support to pick up List seats but ultimately that is a matter for the voters of Scotland to determine, one way or the other.
A more representative system
As Scottish voters prepare to go to the polls in May they can do so knowing that their vote will count and the parliament elected will be representative – a luxury most voters in England don’t have at this election.
And now, after 20 years of PR in Scotland surely it’s time Westminster caught up and ensured that voters in England could vote with the same peace of mind.
