Labour grip slackens in Scotland

Labour was today set to return to power at Holyrood but by the narrowest of margins, after suffering a series of high-profile defeats in the Scottish Parliament elections.

On what was a night of stunning successes for the minor parties, an anti-hospital closure campaigner unseated Labour's Brian Fitzpatrick in Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Tommy Sheridan savoured big gains for his Scottish Socialist Party and the Greens also saw their ranks swell.

The Nationalists took three seats from Labour, but failed to make their long dreamed-of breakthrough.

David McLetchie laid the ghost of the Tories' wilderness years in Scotland by capturing the Edinburgh Pentlands seat from enterprise minister Iain Gray.

Tories later saw John Scott hold Ayr - and Alex Fergusson snatch the Galloway and Upper Nithsdale seat from the SNP's Alasdair Morgan by only 99 votes.

It was almost a replay of the 2001 General Election in which the Tories won their first Westminster seat in Scotland in that constituency since their 1997 wipe-out.

First Minister and Labour leader Jack McConnell, who went to Labour's Glasgow HQ after being re-elected in Motherwell and Wishaw with an increased majority, sounded far from triumphant when he emerged later.

He refused to answer reporters' questions, but said in a prepared statement that the turnout was better than predicted.

"I congratulate all those who have been successfully elected tonight, and commiserate with those who have lost," Mr McConnell said.

"The Labour result and the turnout were considerably better than predicted at the start of the campaign.

"And as the largest party, we have a duty to learn from the results, but also a responsibility to pursue the key priorities of schools, hospitals and tackling crime, that the people voted for."

Labour's loss of six constituency seats looks set to strengthen the hand of Liberal Democrat leader Jim Wallace in coalition talks which are expected to begin almost immediately.

With one constituency yet to declare and four of the eight regions declared by 7am, the BBC reported the state of the parties as Labour with 48 seats, the SNP on 19, the Liberal Democrats with 15 and the Tories with 10.

The Scottish Socialists and Green Party each had three list seats under the "top-up" system designed to make the Parliament more proportional, while independent candidates claimed two constituencies.

The SNP snatched Dundee East, Aberdeen North and Ochil from Labour, although it failed to capture other key targets such as Glasgow Govan and knife-edge Dundee West.

The losers were left-wing standard-bearer John McAllion in Dundee East and former deputy justice minister Richard Simpson - who resigned after calling striking firefighters "fascist bastards" - in Ochil.

Hospital campaigner Jean Turner ejected Labour's Brian Fitzpatrick from Strathkelvin and Bearsden, while the Liberal Democrats took Edinburgh South from Labour.

Dr Turner said later: "I think people were so fed up that nobody seemed to listen to what they were saying, in particular on the health service."

Dennis Canavan was comfortably returned as Independent MSP for Falkirk West with a 10,000 majority and a 56% share of the vote.

Mr McConnell struck an almost humble note in his constituency, despite increasing his personal majority in Motherwell and Wishaw to more than 9,000.

He told supporters: "The Scottish Labour Party I lead in Parliament will not forget the lessons of the past four years.

"We will move on. The things we have done well, Labour will build upon. The things we got wrong we will change."

Deputy First Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Jim Wallace saw his majority in Orkney slashed to 1,755 as the Tories and Socialists both made strong inroads.

Mr Wallace said: "Over the past four years, the Liberal Democrats have achieved 80% of what we put into our 1999 manifesto and I now think we can do better than that.

"The most important thing to do is agree the terms of the partnership agreement and what policies the administration will follow over the next four years."

After capturing Edinburgh Pentlands from Labour, Tory leader David McLetchie said: "Ever since I joined the Conservative Party at the age of 16 I have dreamed of the day that I would have the opportunity to make a speech like this.

"We are on our way back. I am proud to have led this party in our campaign and I am looking forward to leading our party in the next Parliament."

The SNP's Shona Robison took Dundee East by just 70 votes after two recounts, while Brian Adam claimed Aberdeen North for the Nationalists from Labour's Elaine Thomson.

Nationalist leader John Swinney said: "The SNP is determined tonight, as it always has been, to release the potential of Scotland and to make sure that the people of Scotland run and create a very successful, prosperous and fair country and a country that we can all be proud of."

Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan, whose party looked set to be among the night's big winners, was joined by a second SSP member for Glasgow, mother-of-two Rosie Kane.

Mr Sheridan told cheering supporters in Glasgow: "What's happened tonight in Scotland is that a new political force has been formed - and that force believes that the wealth of Scotland belongs to the people of Scotland."

The lowest turnouts were in Glasgow, where just two in five registered voters went to the polls, and just 35% voted in Shettleston.

* After 72 constituency results out of 73 in the Scotland election, the turnout is: 1,890,286 (49.40%, -9.30%). After three PR constituency results out of eight in the Scotland election, the turnout is: 751,547 (50.80%, -5.85%).