Scotland’s newest MSPs have arrived for their first day at Holyrood after last week’s election.
Some 64 new faces will walk the halls of the Edinburgh parliament following Friday’s results.
But little is expected to change after the SNP continued its domination of Holyrood, winning 58 seats, with Labour and Reform UK with 17 seats and the Greens on 15.
The Scottish Greens have regularly backed the SNP-led government’s plans in recent years and their record number of MSPs return yet another pro-independence majority.
The Scottish Conservatives slumped to 12 seats and the Lib Dems increased their share to 10.
One of the newly-elected number is current SNP MP Stephen Gethins, who is set to resign his Arbroath and Broughty Ferry seat at Westminster to sit in Holyrood.
Speaking to journalists as he began his first day, Mr Gethins said he hoped Scotland would be independent in this parliamentary term.
“I’ve seen the huge amounts of damage at Westminster, Brexit – £250 million a day it’s costing the taxpayer… cost of living having an impact on our public services as well,” he said.
“This is a Parliament that delivers for the people of Scotland – Westminster isn’t.”
New Lib Dem MSP Adam Harley said he wanted to “hit the ground running”, adding: “I think, first and foremost… it’s to restore a bit of faith if I can locally, certainly.
“I did a lot of door knocking over the course of the last year and that word ‘scunnered’ I think became a word for the campaign.
“I very much sensed that across the board, to be honest, so I really just want to restore a bit of faith in the system, first and foremost.”
Newly-elected SNP MSP Jack Middleton – a former special adviser to both Humza Yousaf and John Swinney – said the SNP secured a “resounding” win which was “a huge endorsement of John Swinney’s strong leadership”.
Asked if he wanted a junior ministerial role, Mr Middleton said his “top priority is going to be standing up for the people of Aberdeen Central”.
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