Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy has been unseated in Renfrewshire East by his Scottish National Party opponent, a dramatic result that sums up the Labour party's woes north of the border.

Murphy secured 20,000 votes, but his SNP rival Kirsten Oswald secured 23,000 and took the seat. Labour is forecast by an exit poll for the broadcasters, carried out by NOP/Mori, to be all but wiped out in Scotland, with the SNP taking 58 of the 59 seats.

"Tonight Scotland has lost so many great MPs from all across the country and I would like to pay tribute to each and every one of them," Murphy said, adding that he wished his SNP opponent well in her parliamentary career and complimenting her campaign.

"The fight goes on and our cause continues," he added, saying he would continue to lead Scotland's Labour party and "our fightback starts tomorrow morning".

Murphy was not the first major scalp by the SNP. A 20-year-old student from Glasgow, Mhairi Black, knocked out Labour's shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander in the Paisley and Renfrewshire South seat with a 27% swing from Labour to the SNP.

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