Final Scottish seat to declare election result after delayed recount

After a brutal election night for the SNP, one seat remains in the balance in Scotland.

No final result in the UK General Election was declared on Friday after multiple recounts failed to verify the votes in a seat in the Highlands.

After an initial recount, there was a difference between the verified and counted votes in Inverness, Skye and Ross-shire.

They did a second recount and it still did not match. In fact, the gap was wider.

The seat is expected to be a close fight between the SNP and the Lib Dems.

A futher recount is scheduled to start at 10.30am on Saturday.

Leader and First Minister of Scotland John Swinney said the party has “failed to convince” the people of Scotland on independence and faces a period of “soul searching”.

The party said a majority of seats would be a mandate for negotiations on holding another referendum.

“I have to accept that we failed to convince people of the urgency of independence in this election campaign,” he said.

“Therefore, we need to take the time to consider and to reflect on how we deliver our commitment to independence – which remains absolute.

“As somebody who has devoted their entire adult life to the winning of Scottish independence – not for an abstract reason, but because I believe it will transform the lives of our people for the better – we need to get that approach correct in the forthcoming period.

“I accept that we need to engage with, listen to and learn from the people of Scotland on how we take forward our arguments for independence.”

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scottish independence “wasn’t really put front and centre” of the SNP’s campaign – despite it being line one, page one of the manifesto.

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