Scottish Election results 2021 RECAP: Alex Salmond concedes Alba unlikely to win seats | SNP's Angus Robertson takes Edinburgh Central from Scottish Conservatives | Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney win constituencies | Labour's Jackie Baillie holds onto Dumbarton | Turnout surges | Interactive constituency map

Lord Peter Mandelson said he had been knocking doors in Hartlepool during the campaign and told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Actually, the reasons for the defeat… if I really had to boil them down to two things I would say they were two Cs – Covid and Corbyn.

“With a bit of Brexit, previous Brexit Party voters backing the man, Boris Johnson, who delivered them Brexit, and also promises of a large dollop of Tory Government money thrown in for good measure.

“All this as a whole turned out to be too heady a cocktail for Labour’s campaign to take on.”

Counting has started in the Scottish Parliament election, with more than half of the country’s constituencies expected to declare on Friday.

Results are due to come in over two days as coronavirus safety measures ruled out the traditional overnight count.

Votes in 46 of the 73 constituency seats began being counted at about 9am, with the first results expected in the afternoon.

It is anticipated all 46 should be declared by Friday evening.

From about 9am on Saturday, the remaining 27 constituency seats will be counted, after which the regional seats will be allocated.

All results are expected to be declared by Saturday evening.

This year’s election, while conducted under the constraints of coronavirus rules, is considered to be one of the most important since the Scottish Parliament opened in 1999.