European elections: SNP wins 3 MEPs, while Scottish Labour's vote collapses

The SNP is set to increase its number of MEPs from two to three at the European elections, after all but one of Scotland’s council areas reported results.

With 31 of the 32 Scottish council areas having declared, the SNP sits on 37.9 per cent of the vote, the Brexit Party has 14.7 per cent, the Liberal Democrats are on 13.9 per cent and the Conservatives on 11.7 per cent.

Scottish Labour had a disastrous night, with Richard Leonard’s party picking up just 9.3 per cent of the votes, down from 26 per cent in 2014.

With the Western Isles set to declare its results later today, the count so far leaves the SNP on three MEPs, then one for each of the Brexit Party, Scottish Lib Dems and Scottish Tories.

The six MEPs to represent Scotland will be the SNP's Alyn Smith, Christian Allard and Dr Aileen McLeod, Louis Stedman-Bruce of the Brexit Party, Sheila Ritchie of the Lib Dems and Baroness Nosheena Mobarik of the Tories.

The SNP won 37.9 per cent of the vote, up from 29 per cent in 2014, with the party coming top in each of the 31 areas to declare, except Orkney and Shetland, where the Lib Dems won the biggest share of the vote.

Turnout across Scotland is currently at 39.7 per cent, up from 33.5 per cent five years ago.

SNP MEP Alyn Smith said: “The people of Scotland have made sure their voices have been heard – this is a resounding victory for the SNP and another emphatic rejection of Brexit.

“This is the biggest European election win for any party ever seen in Scotland – to win 3 of 6 available seats in Scotland is simply phenomenal.

“Throughout this campaign the SNP has offered a message of hope and ambition. Scotland wants to be part of an EU that allows us to travel, work and live freely across Europe.

“Scotland deserves better than a Westminster system that isn’t working – it’s no wonder more and more people believe Scotland’s future should be as independent country within the EU.”

The Brexit Party won a huge victory across the UK, with the Lib Dems in second, and both the Tories and Labour suffering heavy losses.

Out of 64 MEPs declared so far, Farage's party has won 28, the Lib Dems 15, Labour 10, Greens seven, the Tories three and Plaid Cymru one.

Arriving at his count in Southampton, Farage said: "The intelligence I get is that the Brexit Party is doing pretty well. It looks like it’s going to be a big win for the Brexit Party."

Most of the Brexit Party's success came at the expense of the Conservatives, who recorded their worst result in a national election since the 19th century.

With every result declared in England and Wales, the party had lost 15 MEPs, leaving them with just three.

Labour won just 10 seats - down eight on 2014 - and seeing its vote share slump to just 14 per cent.

Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry launched an outspoken attack on Labour's failure to back a second EU referendum.

She said: "These are really bad results for Labour. I think we're going to get a kicking.

"We went into an election where the most important issue was what was our view on leaving the European Union and we were not clear about it. We were not clear on the one single thing that people wanted to hear and that wasn't [the candidates'] fault.

"We should have said quite simply that any deal that comes out of this government should be put to a confirmatory referendum and that Remain should be on the ballot paper and that Labour would campaign to Remain."

Meanwhile the Greens also enjoyed a good night at the expense of Labour in England, with its number of MEPs up from three to seven, though the party failed to win a seat north of the border.