FORMER Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is East Lothian's new MP.

The SNP candidate unseated Labour's Martin Whitfield, overturning his majority of 3,083 to win by nearly 4,000 votes.

Craig Hoy of the Conservatives was nearly 2,000 votes further behind in third.

After victory was annouced just before 3am at the count at Meadowmill, Mr MacAskill paid tribute to Mr Whitfield's "diligent" work as East Lothian's MP and said he was extremely proud to be elected to represent the constituency.

He said it was time for all parties to work together to protect people in Scotland from Boris Johnson's government.

Mr MacAskill said: "The people of East Lothian have rejected Boris Johnson, they have rejected Brexit but exactly as 40 years ago when Margaret Thatcher caused hardship and pain, we now face a Johnson Government that will have the same impact."

Mr Whitfield said: "It was a national surge, it was less in East Lothian than across Scotland. I am proud of the work my team has done in East Lothian and hope this continues."

Craig Hoy of the Conservatives paid tribute to his team while the Liberal Democrats' Robert O'Riordan, who finished a long way back in fourth, said: "The Lib Dems are not going away."

While UKIP's David Sisson, who brought up the rear, said: "Democracy is still alive and let's hope it will long sustain."

The final results in East Lothian were:

  • Craig Hoy (Conservative) - 15,523
  • Kenny MacAskill (SNP) - 21,156
  • Robert O'Riordan (Liberal Democrat) - 4,071
  • David Sisson (UKIP) - 493
  • Martin Whitfield (Labour) - 17,270

There were 114 rejected ballot papers.

Turnout in East Lothian was 71.86 per cent, up one per cent from the last election in 2017.

Click here to find out how the night unfolded.

Nationally it was a great night for the Conservatives, who won a big majority, and for the SNP, who gained 13 seats to finish with 48 of the 59 in Scotland.

Labour suffered a string of losses, mostly in their traditional heartlands in the North of England and the Midlands, while the Liberal Democrats also had a disastrous night, with their leader Jo Swinson losing her East Dunbartonshire seat to the SNP.