John Swinney issues statement as SNP forecast to be reduced to 10 seats

JOHN Swinney has said the SNP fought a “positive, upbeat campaign” as polls closed on Thursday night – minutes after the exit poll put his party on course to win just 10 seats.

The SNP leader said that Scotland would be “glad to see the back of this disastrous Tory government” after the major poll conducted for the main TV broadcasters predicted the Conservatives would lose power and be reduced to 131.

But it was a gloomy forecast for the SNP who were predicted to lose their status as the third largest party in Westminster and fall three seats behind Nigel Farage’s Reform Party.

The exit poll, carried out on behalf of the BBC, ITV and Sky and overseen by John Curtice and a team of statisticians, comes with major caveats.

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It is based on data from voters at around 130 polling stations in England, Scotland and Wales to provide a snapshot of the likely swing across the country.

But former first minister Nicola Sturgeon (below) said she believed it was "broadly right", adding: "This is not a good night for the SNP on those numbers.

"This is at the grimmer end of the expectations for the SNP, if the exit poll is right."

While it is grim reading for the SNP, Scottish results are harder to predict though it appears certain Keir Starmer will become Britain’s next prime minister, with the poll putting Labour on course for 410 seats.

The SNP winning just 10 seats relies on them losing six seats to the Tories – putting them on 12 seats north of the Border – according to STV.

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This result would mean the Tories holding all their Scottish seats and winning in places like Perth, Stirling, Gordon, and Aberdeen South – Stephen Flynn's seat.

In a statement issued moments after the poll was published, Swinney (above) said: “The SNP has fought a positive, upbeat campaign, firmly rooted in the values of the people of Scotland – on the impending Westminster cuts to public services, the damage of Brexit and where decisions about Scotland should be taken.

“Scotland will be glad to see the back of this disastrous Tory government and I am confident that SNP votes across the country will make that happen.

“This election campaign has brought the SNP together and, crucially, broken the conspiracy of silence between Labour and the Tories on the disastrous impact of Brexit and the billions of cuts to public services coming down the line, as highlighted by the IFS.”