Scottish Elections 2026 Live Reporting

11.21am - Our team on the ground caught returning officer Pippa Milne's address to the count. Watch the video of what she had to say here.

11.02am - Reform's Amanda Hampsey has now arrived at the count - but there is still no sign of our independent candidates Mick Rice or Tommy Macpherson.

10.51am - If you think it's going to be a busy day for our election hopefuls, spare a thought for the West Coast Today reporting team, who have been at the Argyll and Bute count since just after 8am. Pictured are Megan Day, Matt Young and Owen Wild, who will be working hard to keep us right up to date until the results are called.

10.25am - So what difference has five years made? We will find out later, but last time around the SNP carried Argyll and Bute by almost 50 per cent of the vote, giving Jenni Minto a majority of just under 9,000 votes. The seat has been a SNP stronghold since 2007, with the party winning it from the Liberal Democrats. There are several factors this time around, notably the rise of Reform UK, which did not stand on the ballot last time.

10.14am - Candidates are beginning to arrive. First through the doors was Alan Reid (Liberal Democrats), followed by Peter Wallace (Conservatives), Callum George (Labour) and now the incumbent MSP Jenni Minto (SNP). Hope they have brought a good book or have Sky Go...other streaming services are also available!

10.05am - Just a reminder for anyone just joining us, the result from the Argyll and Bute count is going to be later than expected, now likely to drop around 6pm as opposed to 3pm.

9.58am - It is not just here in Lochgilphead that counting has started. For the Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency, the count also began at 9am at Ionad Spòrs Leòdhais/ Isle of Lewis Sports Centre, Stornoway. The Na h-Eileanan an Iar Constituency Returning Officer is Malcolm Burr. Results are expected there at around 2pm, but that could, of course, be subject to change.

9.47am - Plenty of these have arrived from all over the region....

9.38am - The count here was originally expected to be completed by 3.30pm today, so the candidates are going to have an extra few hours of biting their nails to discover who has taken the seat at Holyrood.

9.19am - Good morning Argyll and Bute. We are here at Lochgilphead Joint Campus for the 2026 Scottish Election count. All those tasked with counting duties have made their way to their stations to begin the process, which got under way at 9am. The result here is expected at around 6pm, so a busy day ahead.