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Reform UK Secures First Scottish Seat Amid Migrant Debate

4/28/2026

36 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Reform UK Wins Seat

Reform UK candidate David McLennan won West Lothian’s first Scottish council seat with 1,177 votes.
SNP housing secretary Mairi McAllan said Scotland receives few migrants and that migration benefits the economy.
Reform UK spokesperson Thomas Kerr said the housing system is at breaking point as 65% of Glasgow’s homeless are migrants.
Polls show the SNP at 30-35% and Reform UK at 18-20% ahead of the 7 May election.

Summary

Kerr warns immigration

Thomas Kerr warned that giving Holyrood immigration control would terrify most Scots because of fears of unlimited migration.
Malcolm Offord said immigration cannot be devolved since it is a UK-wide issue affecting the whole island.
After reports that Emma Harper and MP Kirsty Blackman support unlimited immigration, Mairi McAllan urged a points-based system.

History

Historical Context

In 2008 the UK Home Office, led by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, began phasing in a points-based immigration system to curb net migration, a scheme later altered by the Conservative government and replaced by a single points system after the 2021 Brexit exit. Today SNP minister Mairi McAllan proposes a devolved version for Scotland, while Reform UK’s Thomas Kerr claims migrants account for most of Glasgow’s homeless.

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Reform UK Wins Seat

Reform UK candidate David McLennan won West Lothian’s first Scottish council seat with 1,177 votes.
SNP housing secretary Mairi McAllan said Scotland receives few migrants and that migration benefits the economy.
Reform UK spokesperson Thomas Kerr said the housing system is at breaking point as 65% of Glasgow’s homeless are migrants.
Polls show the SNP at 30-35% and Reform UK at 18-20% ahead of the 7 May election.

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