A boring election, they said. No. This weekend we can reflect on one of the most impactful and consequential general elections in many of our lifetimes, and one which could have a dramatic impact on the UK, but also on Scotland’s political parties, on Scotland’s parliament, and on Scotland’s government after the 2026 elections to Holyrood.

There are micro stories, everywhere. The defenestration of a few Labour MPs by activist candidates unhappy with Sir Keir Starmer’s stance on Israel and Gaza is primarily of note because one of those activists almost unseated the revolutionary incoming Health Secretary Wes Streeting, in a heart-stopping moment for those of us who believe in the urgent need for reform of the NHS.

The Lib Dems’ massive seat increase took place on an almost identical vote share to 2019. The Greens’ achievement in a first past the post electoral system - winning four seats - is notable.

However, they are outweighed by the macro stories which emerged, widespread, across the UK, as results came in. Let’s look first at Labour’s vote share. At just one-third of the voting electorate, it is more than ten per cent lower than regular polling had suggested.

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This is not a shock in itself - it is entirely normal and predictable that the snapshot polling for an opposition party is higher than ‘real life’, and it had already been proven in the English local........

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