SNP hold on to Kirky East

Mr McDonald welcomed the victory by thanking all of his supporters in the constituency and his election team who had worked extremely hard on delivering this result.

Mr McDonald, who will now commence his third term as an MP, also said that the result across Scotland 
represented a chance for people to take charge of their own future.

The SNP almost trebled their majority since the 2017 general election, with the new figure of 12,976 more than the total vote for the runner up, Labour’s James McPhilemy.

The full result was: Roz McCall (Conservative) 7,380; Stuart McDonald (SNP) 24,158,James McPhilemy (Labour) 11, 182 and Susan Murray (Liberal Democrats) 2,966. Turnout – 69.3 per cent.

“A massive thank you to the people of Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East for putting their trust in me once again to represent them in the next Westminster Parliament. It has been a privilege to act as their MP over these four and a half years – and I am genuinely honoured to have been entrusted with that task once again. Whichever party people voted for, indeed whether they voted or not, I will work as hard as I can to fulfil my responsibilities to each and every individual across these communities.

People backed the SNP manifesto for an end to end austerity cuts; for investment in our public services; for an end to the low wage economy; and to reverse the horrendous cuts to social security that have made it so difficult for too many of my constituents to pay the bills and put food on the table. And we stood on a clear platform against Brexit, and for Scotland’s right to choose its own future.

Results in other parts of the UK mean we face the horrendous prospect of five years of a majority Boris Johnson government - and a damaging hard Brexit.

Here, and right across Scotland, his agenda has been resoundingly rejected. But it is an agenda that will still be imposed on us unless we choose a different path.

That makes the case for independence all the more urgent”.

Meanwhile, the SNP’s Steven Bonnar was victorious in the constituency of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill.

The Thorniewood councillor-turned MP unseated Hugh Gaffney by securing a majority of more than 5000.