Scots produce few poll surprises

Scotland's leading political figures held onto their respective seats with none of the "big guns" losing out.

Labour's Gordon Brown won in his Dunfermline East constituency, while his colleagues Robin Cook and Helen Liddell held Livingston and Airdrie and Shotts respectively.

The party's Lewis Mooney held the Kirkcaldy seat and Jim Murphy held off a stiff challenge from Scottish Tory chairman Raymond Robertson to hold the Eastwood constituency.

None of the other main parties in Scotland have managed to make inroads into Labour's electoral stranglehold.

The party held its 56 Scottish seats, and with two seats left to declare the Liberal Demcrats had recaptured eight of its 10 seats from 1997.

Galloway and Upper Nithsdale was the only seat to change hands, with the Tories picking up their sole Scottish seat at the expense of the Scottish National Party, who held five other constituencies.

However, the Tories failed to capture a number of other key targets and even fell into fifth place in the Glasgow Maryhill constituency behind the Scottish Socialist Party.

Speaking after his victory, Mr Cook said Labour's commitment to investing in public services had been met favourably at the polls.

He said: "The people of Livingston have shown that they share our priorities for decent public services, opportunity for working families and security for all."