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Conservative 'blue wall' holds firm in south of Scotland

Giancarlo RinaldiDumfries and Galloway reporter
BBC Finlay Carson punches the air in celebration - he has short, grey hair and a grey beard and is wearing a navy jacket with a black and white tie and white shirt with a blue rosette. Next to him is Emma Harper with red hair, black jacket, pink t-shirt and yellow and black rosette.BBC
Finlay Carson held on to his Galloway and West Dumfries seat with a reduced majority

The political make-up of the four constituency seats in the Scottish Parliament across Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders has remained unchanged.

In Galloway and West Dumfries, Finlay Carson held on to the constituency for the Conservatives ahead of Emma Harper for the SNP.

Craig Hoy also ensured Dumfriesshire remained a blue block on the political map with the SNP's Stephen Thompson in second place.

In the Borders, Rachael Hamilton also kept Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire in Conservative hands while the SNP retained Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale thanks to Calum Kerr.

Craig Hoy and David Mundell with blue rosettes punch the air in celebration at the election count in Dumfries
Craig Hoy, left, celebrates his victory with David Mundell

In Dumfriesshire, six candidates were seeking the seat which went Hoy's way by about 1,000 votes from Thompson for the SNP - the closest result across the four southern seats.

Reform's David Kirkwood took third ahead of Linda Dorward for Labour, Lib Dem Iain McDonald and Paul Adkins of the Scottish Common Party.

The seat was previously held by Oliver Mundell for the Conservatives with a majority of more than 4,000.

Callum Kerr - a bald man in a suit with an SNP rosette - stands in front of photograph of the countryside, speaking into two microphones.
Calum Kerr ensured the SNP held on to the Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale seat comfortably

"It is great to be able hold this critically important blue wall across the south of Scotland," said Hoy.

"My colleague Finlay Carson has obviously been declared as the MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries.

"It also vindicates what we said all the way through this campaign that a vote for the Scottish Conservatives can stop the SNP."

However, he said the result had been "very close" - as they had warned - and Reform had almost split the vote allowing the SNP to win.

Kirkwood said the increase in vote share for Reform was "pretty good going" and they would carry on being "ordinary people trying to bring some sense into the nonsense world of politics".

The turnout for the constituency was 51.7% - down from 66% five years ago.

A woman with blonde hair and glasses in a blue top with a blue rosette has her arm around a man with grey receding hair in a green top and checked shirt also with a blue rosette.
Rachael Hamilton, pictured with her father Lewis Price, held on to her seat

Carson held on to his Galloway and West Dumfries seat - with a reduced majority - for the Conservatives.

He saw off the challenge of the SNP's Harper by about 1,600 votes - a fall of about 1,000 on his advantage in 2021.

Reform's Senga Beresford finished third overall ahead of Jack McConnel (Labour) and Tracey Warman (Lib Dem).

The turnout was also down from the last Scottish election - dropping from 64.9% to 51.9%.

Carson said he was "absolutely delighted" and they had "fought really hard" to keep the seat.

Bar chart showing the results of the Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale seat in the Scottish Parliament with vote share for candidates with more than 1% of the vote: Scottish National Party 40.9% down 5.1 points, Conservative 20.1% down 10.4 points, Liberal Democrat 13.5% up 7.5 points, Labour 13.4% up 1.2 points, Reform UK 12.2% up 12.2 points. Turnout: 55%. Change based on 2021 notional results

"It is such a tremendous honour, I love Galloway, I have lived here all my life so for the voters to put their trust in me I think it is a big thing," he said.

"It is very emotional, we have been running on empty for some weeks now.

"It has been a hard campaign we always knew the SNP were going to be very close behind and everybody kept telling us that Reform was going to provide an issue - we didn't see that on the doorsteps."

Harper said she had been proud of the campaign she had run from Stranraer to the west of Dumfries.

"We had a really positive campaign and I am really proud of that," she added.

Bar chart showing the results of the Dumfriesshire seat in the Scottish Parliament with vote share for candidates with more than 1% of the vote: Conservative 34.8% down 12.9 points, Scottish National Party 31.4% down 6.3 points, Reform UK 17.7% up 17.7 points, Labour 10.3% down 1.1 points, Liberal Democrat 5.1% up 1.9 points. Turnout: 52%

It was also more of the same in Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire where there were seven candidates but Hamilton was returned with a smaller but still sizeable majority over the SNP's John Redpath.

They were followed by Jamie Langan of Reform in third, Lib Dem Ray Georgeson, Labour's Kaymarie Hughes, Independent James Anderson and Terry Howson of the Alliance to Liberate Scotland.

Hamilton was defending a majority of nearly 7,000.

Bar chart showing the results of the Galloway and West Dumfries seat in the Scottish Parliament with vote share for candidates with more than 1% of the vote: Conservative 38.3% down 8.7 points, Scottish National Party 33% down 6.9 points, Reform UK 15.6% up 15.6 points, Labour 8.5% up 0.6 points, Liberal Democrat 4.6% up 2.1 points. Turnout: 52%

Like elsewhere, turnout was down from 64% in 2021 to 53% this year.

Hamilton said she was "absolutely thrilled" to retain her seat and wanted to deliver what people had asked for during her campaign.

"I want to ensure that hard-working people keep more of their money in their pockets," she said.

She added that she also wanted to see violence in schools reduced, attainment improved and investment in roads.

Bar chart showing the results of the Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire seat in the Scottish Parliament with vote share for candidates with more than 1% of the vote: Conservative 44.8% down 6.7 points, Scottish National Party 27.3% down 5.2 points, Reform UK 11.9% up 11.9 points, Liberal Democrat 7.8% up 1.3 points, Labour 5.2% down 0.5 points, Independent 2.5%. Turnout: 53%

In Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale there was a change of face but not of party.

Calum Kerr kept the seat previously held by Christine Grahame for the SNP with a very similar majority to the one she secured in 2021.

Keith Cockburn (Conservative) finished in second place ahead of Lib Dem Duncan Dunlop, Daniel Coleman of Labour and Carolyn Grant (Reform).

The constituency saw the highest percentage turnout of the seats across the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway at 55.6% but that was still down on five years ago when it was 66%.

An election count with numerous ballot boxes and people in yellow high visibility tops in a large hall
The counts for the southern seats took place in Kelso and Dumfries

"I am so proud of my whole team and terribly grateful to the whole electorate," said Kerr.

"There are things when you go into politics that you think you can change and you struggle with and there are others that absolutely you can make the difference.

"I think that is my priority - to find those areas where you can fundamentally make a difference."

He said that would be making sure constituents got the help they needed but also driving forward the Scottish economy.

A man with grey hair and glasses in a blue jacket with a white shirt and a light blue rosette sits in front of a wood panelled wall
David Kirkwood missed out on a constituency seat but took one on the south of Scotland list along with fellow Reform candidates Jamie Langan and Senga Beresford

On the south of Scotland regional list, it proved to be a big day for Reform with three of the seven seats going their way.

Jamie Langan, David Kirkwood and Senga Beresford all secured spots at Holyrood.

They will be joined by Labour's Carol Mochan and Joe Fagan along with Laura Moodie of the Scottish Greens and Lib Dem Duncan Dunlop.

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