Greens oust SNP's Robertson as they win first Holyrood constituencies

The Scottish Greens have won constituency MSPs for the first time, ousting SNP heavyweight Angus Robertson in Edinburgh Central and taking Nicola Sturgeon's former constituency Glasgow Southside.

The party has also won 13 regional seats, taking their total to 15 - an improvement on the eight MSPs they had elected in 2021.

Lorna Slater - a former Green co-leader who previously served as a minister in an SNP-Green government - won Edinburgh Central with a comfortable majority of 4,582 (13%) over Labour.

Robertson, a former government minister and party deputy leader, slumped to third place.

Green councillor Holly Bruce won Glasgow Southside with a majority of 3,101 (8.1%) over former SNP minister Kaukab Stewart.

The Greens had never won a constituency contest until now, having returned all previous MSPs on regional lists.

Robertson, who served as the Scottish government's culture and external affairs secretary during the last parliament, was the highest-profile casualty of the election.

He won 7,702 votes, well behind Slater on 12,680. It is the first time since 2011 that the SNP has finished third in a constituency ballot for Holyrood. Labour came second.

Robertson also stood on the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list, but did not secure a seat - meaning he will not be returning to Holyrood.

Slater led the Scottish Greens with Patrick Harvie between 2019 and 2025.

She served as a minister in the Scottish government following the 2021 election, thanks to a power-sharing deal with the SNP which ended in 2024.

Slater described her party's first constituency victory as a "significant milestone".

She told BBC Scotland News: "Two constituencies is amazing for us.

"It shows how that progressive agenda really has support, especially from young people."

She added: "Holly is going to be a great MSP. We absolutely weren't really expecting that, so I'm blown away."

Bruce, a former lawyer, said in her acceptance speech: "I live and I breath the Southside.

"This victory isn't just mine, it belongs to all of you."

The Greens also ran the SNP close in Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith, as well as Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill.

The party picked up three seats on the Edinburgh and Lothians East list, with a further one each in the North East and Mid Scotland and Fife regions.

The Greens won another seat in South Scotland, and two more in Glasgow.

Co-leader Gillian Mackay was the only Green MSP elected in the Central Scotland and Lothian West region.

In the West region, the other co-leader, Ross Greer, was one of two Green MSPs elected. Two further list MSPs were elected via the Highlands and Islands region.

Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer called it a "historic day" for his party.

Speaking from the count in Renfrew, he said: "It looks like everybody in Scotland for the first time will have a Green MSP by tonight.

"We're going to get Green MSPs elected on every regional list, and of course we've made those two incredible constituency breakthroughs."

Greer told BBC Scotland News that the results had exceeded expectations, with the Greens now seemingly among Holyrood's "bigger parties".

Robertson's defeat is not the first stinging setback in the eventful political career of the former SNP Westminster leader.

He unexpectedly lost Moray to the Conservatives in the 2015 general election, prompting a move to Holyrood in 2021.