BALLOTS SEIZED
Police probing election ‘voter fraud’ after swooping on Glasgow count to remove ballot papers
The papers were seized by police last night
POLICE have launched an investigation into suspected voter fraud after descending on an election count in Glasgow last night.
Officers swooped on the count and asked that three ballot papers be removed over concerns of impersonation.
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Election officials initially told journalists that four papers had been reported, with one of those in the Glasgow West constituency of particular concern.
The paper was identified and removed by officials wearing blue gloves who placed it in a bag.
Shortly before 11.30pm, officials told how the force had requested that an additional two of the initial four ballot papers flagged were also to be identified.
They were then removed.
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It is understood that these two papers were returned in the Glasgow South-West constituency.
Police have confirmed that no criminality was established for one report.
However the force are still investigating the other three.
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: "Over the course of the day, we have received four reports of potential personation at polling places.
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"The police subsequently asked us to extract three ballot papers from the count.
"This was done when the relevant ballot boxes arrived at the count centre."
LIVE: The Sun’s election results special with Harry Cole as we analyse the night's biggest stories
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Officers were called to the Emirates Arena in Glasgow on the early morning of Friday, 5 July, 2024, following four reports of potential voter fraud.
“Enquiries were carried out and there was no criminality established for one report.
“Enquiries are ongoing into the other three reports.”
Electoral fraud is a serious offence and those found guilty of it can be sent to jail.
But an insider said this is a rare and unusual thing to happen.
Analysis from our political expert
WOW. What a night for Scottish Labour, and what a collapse for the SNP.
This was an election dominated by voters wanting to give Rishi Sunak and the Tories a kicking.
But Scottish voters also wanted to punish an SNP which has failed to deliver for Scots and found itself covered in scandal and sleaze.
Late last night sources of all the major parties were reacting with shock to the exit poll - given the SNP's massive losses. But them winning just 10 appears to have been a slight over-estimate.
Senior SNP figures blamed a lack of a clear message from the party for the last year since Nicola Sturgeon's resignation.
But they also said traditional Labour voters who had previously lent their vote to the SNP to keep the Tories out - sparking the landslides of 2015 and 2019 - had finally turned back to their spiritual home.
Their overriding motivation? Booting out the Tories from Number 10.
Despite this - the scale of the swing away from the Nats is huge. Experts said it was around the same level as the swing to the SNP in 2015.
Reform UK also caused chaos - causing Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross to lose his fight for a seat but also taking votes from the Tories and Labour across the country.
But while it was a brutal night for the Nats - it was a jubilant one for Scottish Labour.
The results last night exceeded even the most optimistic predictions for Anas Sarwar's party. A total of 37 seats suggests they won every single target seat.
Winning back Glasgow - and almost all of Edinburgh - is a hugely symbolic step back to the top of Scottish politics.
All eyes will now be on Holyrood's 2026 election - with Mr Sarwar already pivoting into a long campaign mode.
And with a new cohort of Scottish Labour MPs behind him, there's no doubt he will be confident of unseating the SNP from power in two years.
Last night it was not considered a concern given how many votes have been cast.
Glasgow City Council and Police Scotland have been contacted for comment.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer officially became the new Prime Minister - after his Labour landslide forced Rishi Sunak out of Number 10 and devastated the SNP's independence hopes for Scotland.
Anas Sarwar’s party rode the Labour wave across the UK to more than 30 seats - helping Sir Keir secure a thumping victory over the Conservatives and Mr Sunak.
The Labour leader and soon-to-be-Prime Minister said: “We said we would turn the page and we have. Today we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country.”
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Mr Sarwar said he was "absolutely delighted" with his party's performance and thanked the people of Scotland for "putting their faith and trust in the Scottish Labour Party".
He added: "I understand their desire for change, I know there'll be a huge sigh of relief that we finally ended 14 years of total chaos and failure."