Reform UK ended the Holyrood election as joint second‑largest party alongside Labour after the final regional list result was declared in the Highlands and Islands in the early hours of Saturday. The late‑night tally capped a dramatic 24 hours that left the SNP first, pro‑independence parties in overall control, and the Scottish Conservatives languishing after their worst result since devolution.
Amid the national focus on Reform’s rise, it was Conservative candidate Tim Eagle – a sheep farmer from Buckie and former leader of Moray Council – who quietly salvaged a sliver of good news for his party. The former shadow rural affairs minister secured a Highlands and Islands regional list seat when the final tranche of votes was announced at 1.13am, 'sneaking in the back door' of Holyrood after what had been a monumentally disappointing day for the Scottish Conservatives.
The party, which once formed the main opposition at Holyrood, will return just 12 MSPs to the new Parliament.
The Highlands and Islands list also confirmed a seat for Scottish Greens rural affairs spokesperson Ariane Burgess, bolstering her party’s influence in a region where land use, nature and energy infrastructure are at the heart of political debate. One further Green MSP, one Labour member and two more Reform MSPs were also elected on the regional vote.
Those gains helped cement a striking national picture:
- SNP – 58 seats
- Reform UK Scotland – 17 seats
- Labour – 17 seats
- Scottish Greens – 15 seats
- Scottish Conservatives – 12 seats
- Scottish Liberal Democrats – 10 seats
For Reform, the final numbers confirmed a rapid transformation from political pariahs to joint second‑largest bloc at Holyrood, achieved entirely via the regional lists.
One of the highest‑profile casualties of the Conservatives’ collapse in support was former shadow agriculture minister Jamie Halcro Johnston. The Orkney farmer, who had hoped to return to Holyrood first via Liam McArthur's safe Orkney seat. then on the Highlands and Islands list, failed to make the cut as poor Tory performances across the country dragged down the party’s regional tallies.
Halcro Johnston had already faced criticism during the campaign from farming minister Jim Fairlie for applying to last year’s Future Farming Investment Scheme while in office. In the end, however, it was the scale of the Conservative slump rather than any single controversy that proved decisive in his defeat.
With Labour and Reform level on 17 seats apiece, the result sets up an unusual power‑sharing dynamic for second place in the chamber. Parliamentary business managers from both parties are now expected to negotiate over opposition logistics – including who sits where and who asks the first question at First Minister’s Questions.
A likely compromise would see Labour and Reform alternate the right to put the first question each week at FMQs, while receiving an equal number of supplementary questions over the course of a term. Office allocations and the positioning of MSP groups in the chamber are also expected to reflect their newfound parity.
The tie also comes with a constitutional wrinkle. If either Labour or Reform were to see one of their MSPs elected as Presiding Officer – a role that requires political neutrality and removes the holder from day‑to‑day party business – that party would immediately slip back into third place by seat count, with potential knock‑on effects for status and speaking rights.
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