Labour loses power in Glasgow as Tories make gains across Scotland

Labour has lost overall control of the former stronghold of Glasgow City Council as the Tories made gains in Scotland.

Former SNP leader and first minister Alex Salmond said he is confident his party will be the overall winners in the local government elections north of the border, but said nationalists "would need to do something" about the surge in support for the Conservatives when the General Election takes place in June.

In the contest for Glasgow - Scotland's largest local authority where Labour has been in power since 1980 - Jeremy Corbyn's party fielded 43 candidates, and it needed all of them to be elected to retain a majority.

But after the first three wards were declared, it became clear Labour would not be able to retain overall control of the council.

The Tories gained a councillor in Shettleston, with Thomas Kerr, 20, saying he was ''shocked'' to win in the east end of Glasgow, a former Labour stronghold.

He put his victory down to opposition to another Scottish independence referendum.

The Conservatives also had a councillor elected in Paisley's Ferguslie Park - the most deprived part of Scotland - for the first time ever.

Clackmannanshire Council, the smallest authority in Scotland, was one of the first to declare all its results - with the SNP remaining the largest party after returning eight councillors, one fewer than in 2012.

Both Labour and the Conservatives had five councillors elected, with the result for the Tories up four on five years ago.

A total of 1,227 councillors are being elected across 32 local authorities areas in Scotland.

As well as targeting an historic win in Glasgow City Council, Mr Salmond said the SNP is also hoping for a majority on Aberdeen City Council.

He told the BBC News Channel: "The SNP are running very strong in Aberdeen, we've got high hopes of taking control of the city. In the shire (Aberdeenshire Council), the Conservative vote is very strong and we'll have to do something about that in five weeks' time.

"The Conservative vote is on the rise, but I think at the end of the day Scotland will be the only place the Conservatives have been beaten - that is to say the objective of an election campaign is to win more votes and more seats than any other party - and we are confident the SNP will do exactly that across Scotland.

"So when it comes to the General Election we want to reinforce this trend - after all there is one thing absolutely desperately needed in this country, a real opposition to Theresa May and the Conservative Party and the SNP in Scotland intend to provide it."

He said it would be a "major moment" for the SNP if it wins power in the "iconic" city of Glasgow, which has been part of Labour's traditional Scottish heartlands.

He added: "Here in the North East of Scotland we're hoping to take control of Aberdeen, which would be also be a major moment, so these are two very important moments.

"But the votes across the country all count and we'll be looking to be the largest party in terms of seats and votes after all the votes are counted today."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has arrived at the Glasgow count, where she greeted SNP councillors.

She described their performance as a “clear, emphatic win for the SNP”.

The SNP remains on course to become the biggest party in the city.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Obviously I've been focused mainly on results in Scotland, but looking south of the border it's clear that the Tories look like they're on track to win the General Election on the strength of their support in England.

“So for people in Scotland, if we want to make sure there are strong voices for Scotland in Westminster, if we want to make sure there's a really strong opposition to the Tories holding them to account, that can only come from the SNP in Scotland and this is a great launch-pad for that campaign.

“The SNP is now the largest party in all of Scotland's major cities, in Edinburgh, in Aberdeen, in Dundee and in Glasgow, and we're on course to win this election with more votes and more seats than any other party.”

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said the results for her party were “disappointing” but “not particularly a surprise”.

She told the BBC News Channel the vote in Scotland had split on constitutional lines, with many unionists backing the Conservatives.

She said: “It's undoubtedly a disappointing result for Labour here in Scotland but it's not particularly a surprise. The polls have consistently shown Labour around 15%.

“The reality, though, is we're topping the tables in at least four areas across the country - Inverclyde, East Lothian, Midlothian, North Ayrshire - Labour at the top of the results today.

“In fact across many of our towns and cities across Scotland, it's Labour who are the strong opposition to the SNP.

“Really what's happened today is we've seen the constitutional politics bite in Scotland once again, it's very much Yes versus No in that regard, and a clear rejection the length and breadth of the country of Nicola Sturgeon's plans for a second independence referendum.”

Ms Dugdale told the Press Association the results were “not as devastating” as polls or pundits had predicted they would be for her party.

“This time last week we were told Labour was going to lose control in every single one of our councils, we were going to lose half of our councillors. That's not happened,” she said.

“Time and time again in the towns and cities across Scotland it is Labour that offers that strong opposition to the SNP and their divisive plans for a second independence referendum.

“There has been a strong focus on the constitution during these local government elections, there is no doubt about that, but the strength of the Tory surge is predominantly in the Borders and the Highlands.”

Commenting on Tory wins in some of Scotland's most deprived communities, Ms Dugdale said: “We now have Tory councillors in Shettleston and Ferguslie Park. That's not a statement about the Tories' policies on public services, that's about the constitution.

“But in the vast majority of our towns and cities across Scotland it is the Labour Party that can stop the SNP, it's the Labour Party that can say no to a second independence referendum, but also focus on living standards.”