Scottish nationalists win but lose ground on Super Thursday'

Image
AFP London
Last Updated : May 06 2016 | 5:22 PM IST
Scottish nationalists won a third term in power but lost their outright majority today in one of a series of local and regional elections seen as a key test for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The main opposition Labour Party came third in the vote for Scotland's devolved parliament but its candidate Sadiq Khan is expected to clinch victory in London to become the city's first Muslim mayor.
Deputy leader Tom Watson told BBC radio the results were a "mixed picture" for Labour, whose socialist leader Corbyn has come under pressure after a scandal over alleged anti-Semitism among some party members.
"We certainly have to make progress in Scotland before the next general election," Watson said.
Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), claimed the result as a major victory as her party seeks a mandate to move towards a second independence referendum.
"What is now beyond doubt is that the SNP has won a third consecutive Scottish Parliament election." Sturgeon said. "We have tonight made history."
However, the 63 seats out of 129 won by the SNP fell short of polling ahead of the election which had suggested it would retain its majority.
The party, which previously had 69 seats, will now have to seek the support of a smaller party like the Greens to govern.
The result of London's mayoral election is expected later today, with Khan tipped to secure an easy victory over Conservative Zac Goldsmith.
Early returns put Khan well ahead of Goldsmith in first preference votes.
The often dirty race to replace Conservative Boris Johnson has pitched two very different candidates against each other -- Khan, the Muslim son of a bus driver and a seamstress, against Goldsmith, multimillionaire son of a financier.
In England, Labour suffered losses in local council elections, though they were not as heavy as predicted, damping down talk of a possible leadership challenge to Corbyn.
With results from 80 councils in, Labour had 41, down one, and 780 seats, down 26.
Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives had control of an unchanged 20 councils and 475 seats, up eight.
The voting day, dubbed "Super Thursday", came after a bitter few weeks of political sniping between the Conservatives and Labour.
Corbyn set up an inquiry into anti-Semitism and racism in Labour after former London Mayor Ken Livingstone was suspended from the party for claiming Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler supported Zionism.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 06 2016 | 5:22 PM IST

Next Story