Scottish Election: SNP squeezed as border region bucks trend

The SNP lost two MSPs in the ITV Border region, despite triumphing across the rest of Scotland.

Both Joan McAlpine and Paul Wheelhouse, who had been a Scottish Government minister, lost their places on the regional list.

Reform UK's Michelle Ballantyne, who was elected as a Scottish Conservative but quit the party, also lost her list seat, as did Labour's Claudia Beamish.

All of the region's constituency MSPs held their seats.

It means that overall in the south of Scotland ITV Border region:

• Scottish Conservatives - 6 MSPs (+2)

• Scottish Labour - 3 MSPs (+1)

• SNP - 2 MSPs (-2)

• Reform UK - 0 MSPs (-1)

The following MSPs now represent constituencies in the ITV Border region:

• Dumfriesshire - Oliver Mundell (Cons)

• Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire - Rachael Hamilton (Cons)

• Galloway and West Dumfries - Finlay Carson (Cons)

• Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale - Christine Grahame (SNP)

The following regional list MSPs now represent the wider South Scotland region:

• Scottish Conservatives: Craig Hoy, Brian Whittle, Sharon Dowey

• Scottish Labour: Colin Smyth, Carol Mochan, Martin Whitfield

• SNP: Emma Harper

The number of list seats a party wins is reduced if it performs well in the region's constituencies.

While most of the ITV Border region's constituencies were held by the Conservatives, the other 5 South Scotland constituencies outside this area were won by the SNP, reducing the number of list MSPs the party returned.