Post‑election update: What the results mean for our community

11 May 2026

Last Thursday, voters in Scotland, Wales and parts of England went to the polls. Now the dust has settled on the results, here is our breakdown of what’s happened and what we’re planning to do next.

In Scotland

In Scotland, the Scottish National Party (SNP) has won the Scottish Parliament election and will return to power in Holyrood for the fifth consecutive time. With 58 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, the SNP hasn’t won an overall majority. This is common in Scotland and means the SNP will rely on working with other parties to pass laws, as has been the case in recent years.  

Over the next few weeks Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) will be sworn in and will elect a First Minister (almost certainly John Swinney, who has been in the role since 2024) who will then form the new Scottish Government. Shortly after this, parliament will resume regular activities. We expect the new government to tell us more about its priorities in the coming weeks, and we’ll be keeping an eye on this. 

We’ll be doing all we can to work with the new Scottish Government on the issues that matter to people with muscle wasting conditions in Scotland. We’ll be reaching out to all MSPs in the coming weeks with briefings on things like the state of healthcare services in Scotland, Adult Disability Payment and the current rolling out of newborn screening for Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). We’ll be making suggestions for the first steps they can take to help, and we will be offering to meet with MSPs over the coming months.  

In Wales

In the weeks leading up to the election for the Senedd (Welsh parliament), polls consistently pointed towards an uncertain outcome. Many suggested a fragmented vote and a closely balanced new Senedd, with no party securing an outright majority.  

This has proved to be the case. Plaid Cymru has won the most seats and will be the leading party in government, meaning that for the first time since the Senedd was created in 1999 the Welsh Government will not be led by Welsh labour. With 43 of the 96 seats in the Senedd, Plaid Cymru hasn’t won an overall majority. The party’s leader, Rhun ap Iowerth has indicated that he intends to run a ‘minority government’. That means that, like the SNP in Scotland, Plaid Cymru will need to rely on support from other parties on a case-by-case basis. It will become clearer how this will work in the coming days and weeks.

In Wales, rules mean that the Senedd has to hold its first meeting by 21 May. After that, members will begin the process of appointing the First Minister, and we expect to hear more about the new Welsh Government’s early priorities within a few weeks.  

A new voting system meant dozens of new Members of the Senedd (MSs) were elected. Again, we’ll be doing all we can over the next few weeks to engage with Members, new and old, as well as the new Welsh Government. We’ll be highlighting the worrying gaps in specialist neuromuscular services in Wales and pushing for newborn screening for SMA to be extended into Wales. We’ll be prioritising contacting all MSs, alongside writing to new members of the Welsh Government and other key decision makers.

In England

Local elections were also held in many parts of England on Thursday. Reform UK won the most council seats across the country with 1,453 councillors, and also took control of 14 councils. The Green Party were the other party which saw a big increase in votes, with the Labour Party and Conservative Party both losing a large number of councillors. The Liberal Democrats also gained 155 new councillors.  

What impact these changes have depends on where you live. Your local representatives may have changed, or they may have stayed the same. Similarly, your local council may now be run by a different party or parties. You can check the results in your local area using this tool from the BBC. 

We don’t engage as much with local councillors as we do with national politicians. But you can contact your local representatives about all sorts of issues such as accessibility in your local area or local services. You can find out how using this tool from WriteToThem. 

Finally, we know that the political world is in a state of division at the moment, and at times things can feel overwhelming or even toxic. We are clear that we won’t stop pursuing our vision for a world without limits for people living with muscle wasting conditions. That including standing up for our community with politicians from all the parties across the UK. Join us here.  

And if you need us, we’re always here.