General Election: Edinburgh residents react to Labour landslide and SNP decimation

Last night’s general election results saw a landslide Labour victory, with 412 total seats and a massive majority over the Conservatives.

But the SNP were also dealt a massive blow, losing 38 of their seats and seeing Labour take all Glasgow and Edinburgh seats, bar Edinburgh West which remained a Lib Dem stronghold.

In the wake of the results, Edinburgh Live spoke to locals on the morning of July 5 to hear their thoughts.

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A number of locals were shocked by the SNP’s defeat.

Liam, 49, said: “They expected to lose maybe 10 or 12 seats, not close to 40. I’m not overly concerned as it’s a Westminster election, but I would be more concerned if this was a Scottish election.

“I would have liked to see a party who was more interested in going back into Europe.”

On the future of the SNP, Liam said: “They’re going to have a hard night if they don’t restore public trust.”

Edinburgh West resident Justin Robertson welcomed the SNP’s departure.

He said: “They were concentrating too much on independence and not on things that were broken, like NHS waiting times.”

Justin voted Liberal Democrat, seeing the party’s incumbent Christine Jardine clinch re-election. He feels the Lib Dems are “more in-tune with what people want.”

Edinburgh South resident Fiona Martin, 57, similarly embraced the SNP's poor performance.

She said: “Honestly, I was ecstatic. We’ve had 17 years where everything [the SNP] touched has been ruined.

“I was happy about the votes for Labour, although I’m very concerned about women’s rights.”

While Starmer has announced his intention to maintain single-sex spaces, Fiona said Starmer has “flip-flopped” his views and that the Labour leader’s cabinet have expressed varied intentions on the topic.

Nonetheless, Fiona said she was “hopeful” for the new government and that “they’re sending the right message.”

Alice, 28, a trans resident in Old Town, was worried about the future of LGBT rights in the UK.

She said: “I’m hoping Starmer is not going to do the things he said he’d do. He sounds antagonistic to a lot of minorities. I hope he only did that out of boasting to voters.”

Alice said she was not hopeful for the coming administration, adding: “The less they interfere with my life, the better. Transsexuals don’t vote for people who want their extermination.”

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Students at the University of Edinburgh held mixed opinions about the Labour victory, with some glad to see a Tory retreat but feeling unsure about the future under a Labour government.

Elizabeth Ashley Place, a student at the University of Edinburgh, voted Green in this election.

She said: “I’m glad the Tories are out, but I’m not over the moon about the Labour Party. Keir Starmer’s stance on trans people really upset me, as did his stance on Israel and Palestine.

“I voted Green in this election because I feel they’re the only party that’s really in-line with my beliefs. Talking to my friends, I must live in such a bubble because we’re all Greens supporters. But then you see the actual results, and Reform has the same amount of support.”

Elizabeth hopes Starmer’s top priorities will include housing costs, a ceasefire in Palestine, and green policy.

She said: “The climate crisis was not as focused on in this election as I was hoping. That’s been swept under the rug a bit.”

Zoe, 21, a fourth-year sport science student ultimately cast a Labour ballot, but said she was “tied between Labour and the Greens.”

She said: “I’m quite happy with the Labour win – I’ve had enough of the conservatives with Party Gate and everything like that” but that “more climate policy would be good.”

She continued: “Young people really feel like climate policies will affect us and our future. In this election, people just wanted an overall change. I think the Greens could do better over the next four years.”

Rianne, 34, a Master’s student inAfrican and International development, hoped for loosened restrictions on immigration

She said: “The Labour Party will hopefully remove the limitations and allow us graduates to stay longer, be able to integrate into the nation.

“I hope they will think thoroughly about how exclusionary these policies are while also accommodating UK citizens.”

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