CHRISTINE Grahame from the Scottish National Party (SNP) has been elected as the MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale following the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

Voters in Scotland went to the polls on Thursday (May 6), with counts held across the country yesterday and today (Saturday, May 8).

After ballot papers were totted up in Kelso today, Ms Grahame was declared the victor in her constituency. She won the previous Holyrood contest in 2016.

This time round, Ms Grahame received a total of 19,807 votes - up from 16,031 in 2016.

Second place has gone to Scottish Conservative candidate Shona Haslam (12,981 votes).

In Ms Grahame's victory speech, she sent a message to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

She said: “I would like to say this to the electorate… Isn’t it wonderful to have such a turnout across Scotland for a Scottish Parliament election?

“Whether you have voted for me or not, as I have done for the last times I have been elected, I will work for you no matter how you voted.

“And I know that is true of all the MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. We’re not partisan, any of us, when we’re working for our constituents.

“Across Scotland, I want to say this… First of all, this is the best constituency in Scotland, if not the entire world.

“And the second thing I want to say about the vote is this… We will have, for the fourth term, an SNP government. And that is extraordinary.

“Secondly, there will be a majority in that parliament who have voted for people to have a choice that is to have a referendum, at an appropriate time, on whether or not Scotland becomes an independent country.

“And I want to say this to Boris Johnson… What is the democratic way for the Scottish people to voice their will, other than to go to the ballot box and, with proportional representation, return a majority of MSPs who want a referendum?

“If that is not the way to do it, Boris, you tell us the way to do it.”

RESULTS:

Christine Grahame (SNP) ­– 19,807.

Shona Haslam (Cons) – 12,981.

Katherine Sangster (Lab) – 5,410

AC May (Lib Dems) – 2,615

Dominic Ashmole (Greens) – 2,154

Michael James Banks (Vanguard) – 67