John Swinney promises focus on independence as he is re-elected as Scotland's First Minister

The SNP leader, who will be formally sworn in at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Wednesday, said his government would have an agenda that is both “ambitious” and “practical”, and he had a “determination to deliver for the people of Scotland”.

He also made it clear he will continue to push for a second independence referendum – despite his party winning just 58 seats in the Scottish Parliament – six fewer than in the previous election and seven short of the overall majority he said was needed o try to force Westminster to permit a fresh ballot to be held on the future of the UK.

Mr Swinney said the election had seen the “largest ever” number of pro-independence MSPs elected - as a record 15 Scottish Greens were returned. There is now one more pro-independence MSP in Holyrood than in the last session.

He said: “The people have again returned a pro-independence majority to this Parliament... they have said with a resounding voice that decision about Scotland’s future should be taken here in Scotland, and I will ensure that the people have the right to decide on their own future.”

The leaders of all six parties in Holyrood stood in the election to be First Minister - despite the SNP having the vast majority of parliamentarians.

By the third round Mr Swinney had more than half the votes with 56 of the 105 cast, compared to Anas Sarwar's 17, the same number as Malcolm Offord the Reform leader and Scottish Greens' Gillian Mackay on 15.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton was knocked out in the first round after securing just ten votes, and Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay went out in round two with 11 votes.

Mr Swinney also paid an emotional tribute to his family for their support, in particular his wife Elizabeth who suffers from MS.

"I'm immensley grateful to all those who have helped me reach this point today. A particular burden is carried by my family who might reasonably have expected me to be more available than I am these days and to each of them I express my thanks for their love and support.

"Every day I am supported in what I do by wife Elizabeth who demonstrates a strength, a tenacity, a determination in the face of increasinly adversity and challenge that is awe insprising.

"Elizabeth's approach to life is of itself a very valuable example of how to act for any First Minister. I literally cannot offer myself to be the First Minister of Scotland without the sacrifices Elizabeth is prepared to make and I acknowledge and thank her for that this afternoon."

Mr Swinney went on to say that as he leads the largest party at Holyrood, he had “a clear mandate from the people of Scotland” to be the First Minister.

However without an overall SNP majority, he also stressed his “willingness to work with others in the Parliament” in order to bring in “measures that will improve the lives of people in Scotland” - though he has already ruled out working with Reform.

He said he is “confident” there is a majority in the Parliament for all the policy proposals his party put forward during the election, and he will “work in ways that enable that majority to emerge”.

Mr Swinney continued: “That is the agenda I offer the people of Scotland. It is ambitious, it is practical, it is ready to be delivered in this new Parliament with a new mandate and a Government determined to get on with the job.”

His call for a second independence vote was backed by Scottish Green co-leader Gillian Mackay, who said while voters had been “promised big things” in the aftermath of the 2014 referendum, what they got “was Brexit, a decade of Westminster failure, a merry-go-round of prime ministers and ongoing climate breakdown”.

She said: “People’s lives have gotten materially worse and Scotland must have our chance to choose differently.”

For Scottish Labour, Mr Sarwar called for co-operation across the political spectrum.

“People are frustrated, angry and tired, and they are tired of political arguments that seem disconnected from their lives – and that should concern every one of us,” he said.

“If people lose faith not only in one party or in one government, but in the ability of politics itself to improve their lives, then that not only undermines our democracy, but opens up opportunities for those that seek to divide us.”

Lord Malcolm Offord said Scots should have a “First Minister who wishes to build opportunity and prosperity for every Scot”, and he insisted Reform is the only party with this agenda.

“All we have seen from the SNP is record highs in tax and spend and grievance stoked against the United Kingdom for cynical political gain,” he added. “Now, in partnership with the Greens, we have seen the politics of envy take root.”

Russell Findlay meanwhile said the results of the ballot for First Minister had been a “foregone conclusion”. But he said he put his name forward for the post “because it gives me the opportunity to put forward my vision for a better Scotland”.

And Mr Cole-Hamilton likewise admitted he knew he would not win the vote, but highlighted that his party returning 10 MSPs at the election was a “massive leap forward”.