What led to the SNP electoral earthquake?
No longer a one-party state, Scotland delivered a major surprise on election night

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
In a general election full of unexpected twists, perhaps the biggest came north of the border where the Scottish National Party suffered heavy defeats ending their one-party hegemony.
"The SNP tsunami of 2015, in which the party took 56 of Scotland's 59 constituencies, was followed yesterday by an earthquake in which the SNP lost more than a third of their MPs," says Alex Massie in The Times.
Across the country, Labour, the Tories and even the much-maligned Lib Dems were the beneficiaries as the SNP haemorrhaged votes in areas considered entirely safe.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Two of the party's grandees lost their seats: Angus Robertson, SNP leader at Westminster, succumbed to the Tory vote in Moray, while, in what The Times describes as the "McPortillo moment", former scourge of the Tories Alex Salmond saw his majority crumble in Gordon.
So what caused this remarkable shift in the Scottish political landscape?
United in unionism
The results place a large question mark over the wisdom of pushing for a second independence referendum so soon after 2014's plebiscite.
The party's deputy leader John Swinney said that the proposal for a second referendum played a "significant" role in the result. "We will take time and care to reflect on the outcome of this result. But we have to acknowledge that the question of a second independence referendum was a significant motivator of votes against the SNP in this election, and we have to be attentive to that point."
The Times writes that "throughout the campaign the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats insisted that their voters were appalled by the prospect of a second independence referendum."
"This, they said, was the issue raised on the doorsteps of Scotland more often than all other issues combined. Last night that was translated into votes."
The T word
The biggest Conservative winner from last night was undoubtedly Ruth Davidson. The Scottish Conservatives' leader saw her party accrue 13 seats, their best performance in the country since 1983.
"In a land where the word 'Tory' is still often used as a curse, she has detoxified the brand and produced a thumping success even as Theresa May fouled up across the rest of the UK," says Chris Deerin in The New Statesman.
The Conservative revival in Scotland has come on the back of the ebullient Davidson. "It is not yet clear where her ceiling lies," adds Deerin, "but she has fans in interesting places – if she announced tomorrow that she had decided to lead a UK version of En Marche!, she would have the money and backing to do it."
Perhaps most pertinently of all, the 13 seats the Tories won in Scotland have allowed Theresa May to keep the keys to Number 10, not something many would have predicted.
The Corbyn surge
In an address following the election, Nicola Sturgeon highlighted the role of the Labour leader in the SNP's demise.
"Clearly in the last few days of this campaign we saw a surge towards Jeremy Corbyn, which we saw in parts of Scotland, as well as across the rest of the UK," she said.
Ruth Wishart in The Guardian agrees with the First Minister's assessment, saying the result was more "generally attributed to the Corbyn factor rather than Scottish leader Kezia Dugdale, who opposed his election."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Biden creates White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Speed Read The office will be led by Vice President Kamala Harris
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Chairman Jordan
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 23, 2023
Daily Briefing Sen. Bob Menendez rejects calls to resign following indictment, Ukraine launches missile attack on occupied Crimean city, and more
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Will Rishi Sunak's green wedge issue win over the public?
Today's Big Question The PM draws dividing line with Labour on net zero ahead of the next general election
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Industry backlash as Sunak set to water down green pledges
Speed Read Automotive and energy bosses look for clarity after PM backs away from UK net zero goal
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
October by-elections: what's at stake for Labour, Lib Dems and Tories
Parties will contest two former safe Tory seats on 19 October, putting pressure on Rishi Sunak
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Jobs for the boys: does the UK need a minister for men?
Conservative MP calls for dedicated cabinet role to combat 'crisis' in men's mental health and education
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
The heir to Blair: does former Labour leader hold the answers for Keir Starmer?
Today's Big Question Recent ‘cosy chat’ seen as political redemption for the former PM and political positioning for the man tipped to be the next one
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
Rutherglen by-election: a pivotal moment for Labour in Scotland?
Talking Point The contest in Rutherglen and Hamilton West is being seen as a chance for the party to rebuild its Scottish credentials
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
Can Labour win over Scotland?
Talking Point Anas Sarwar forecast to ‘cannibalise’ SNP votes but can he shake the ‘puppet’ image?
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Keir Starmer’s transformation of the Labour Party
Under the Radar In pursuit of victory in the next general election, Starmer has steered the Labour Party toward the centre
By Sorcha Bradley Published