SNP Wins All Five North Lanarkshire Seats as Reform UK Secures Strong Regional Vote

Context The May 7 election determined 129 members of the Scottish Parliament. Voters chose both constituency representatives and regional list members. North Lanarkshire, a traditional Labour stronghold, featured five constituencies: Airdrie, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Motherwell and Wishaw, and Uddingston and Bellshill.

Key Facts In Airdrie, SNP candidate Neil Gray secured the seat with 10,711 votes, outpacing Labour’s 6,201 and the Conservative’s 1,145. Gray’s victory contributed to the SNP’s clean sweep across the council area. In Coatbridge and Chryston, SNP’s Fulton James MacGregor won 14,458 votes, more than double Labour’s 7,682. Cumbernauld and Kilsyth saw SNP’s Jamie Hepburn receive 13,787 votes, again beating Labour’s 6,472. Motherwell and Wishaw returned SNP’s Clare Adamson with 11,962 votes, while Uddingston and Bellshill elected SNP’s Steven Bonnar on 11,966 votes. Each constituency recorded turnout rates between 46.9% and 53.6% and a small number of rejected ballots.

Regionally, the Central Scotland list produced six MSPs. Reform UK captured 58,334 votes, the second‑highest party total after the SNP’s 86,809. Labour followed closely with 57,103 votes, and the Greens earned 34,415. Reform UK’s list seats went to Graham Simpson, Mandy Lindsay, and Amanda Bland, giving the party a foothold in the parliament despite its modest constituency performance.

What It Means The SNP’s dominance in North Lanarkshire reinforces its position as the leading force in central Scotland, extending its influence beyond traditional strongholds. Reform UK’s regional showing indicates growing appeal for a right‑of‑center alternative to the Conservatives, especially in a region where the party secured over 20% of the vote. The results set the stage for policy debates on devolution, economic development, and social services, with the SNP likely to drive the legislative agenda.

Watch for how the new SNP bloc will coordinate with regional list members, and whether Reform UK can translate its regional momentum into future constituency gains.