Voters in Dundee City East have elected SNP candidate Shona Robison for a fifth time with one of the largest majorities in Scotland.
Ms Robison secured nearly 60 per cent of the vote in Dundee, giving her a majority of 13,337 over her closest rival.
The SNP saw their vote share increase by 1.2 per cent from 2016 to 19,230.
Scottish Labour’s Owen Wright won 5,893 votes, whilst the Scottish Conservative candidate Philip Scott came third with 5,630 votes.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats polled fourth with 1,431 votes.
Speaking to The Courier, Ms Robison praised staff at the election count for their efforts during a difficult election.
She also thanked voters and said it was “truly humbling” to be returned for a fifth time with an increased majority.
She said: “I am quite humbled, this is the fifth election that the voters of Dundee City East have put their trust in me.
“I am honoured to be able to continue to represent this city in the Scottish Parliament,” she said.
‘Remarkable results for SNP’
Ms Robison described the SNP’s result across Scotland as “remarkable”, saying it showed Scots had put their trust in the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon.
Speaking about her priorities locally, she said: “I pledged in my acceptance speech to work tirelessly to help the city recover from the Covid pandemic, with a focus on jobs and the economic recovery.
“And, of course, addressing some of the challenges that are long standing in the city that we need to continue to work hard on in terms of addiction issues and improving mental health services.
“These are urgent issues that we want to get back to work on and tackle.”
Formerly health secretary Ms Robison stepped down from government in 2018.
‘It has been an honour to represent this city’
And she says the decision to walk away from the role has given her the chance to spend more time in the constituency.
Ms Robison said: “It has been such a long time since I was first elected that my daughter who I was pregnant with in 2003, when I first won the seat, has just voted for the first time.
“It has been an honour to represent this city whether as a backbencher and in government, and there’s more to be done.
“The city looks different than it did all those years ago, but I am acutely aware we have some big challenges to tackle.”