Scottish Labour wins Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election as SNP and Reform undergo shock defeat | EUROtoday

Labour pulled off a shock win in a key Scottish by-election seen as a check of its skill to fend off the rise of Reform UK and wrest Holyrood from the SNP’s management.

Sir Keir Starmer’s get together, led by Anas Sarwar in Scotland, gained the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, reconfiguring the political outlook forward of subsequent 12 months’s elections.

It had been extensively anticipated to lose the seat, with the prime minister’s reputation plummeting and Nigel Farage’s get together on the rise.

But Davy Russell, a first-time candidate and native determine recognized for his function as deputy lord lieutenant of Lanarkshire, gained the seat vacated by the late Scottish National Party (SNP) minister Christina McKelvie. McKelvie died in March aged 57 after a battle with secondary breast most cancers.

Mr Russell secured 8,559 votes, beating SNP candidate Katy Loudon by a margin of 602. Mr Farage’s candidate Ross Lambie got here in third with 7,088 votes – solely narrowly behind the SNP – whereas the Scottish Conservatives trailed with 1,621.

The win overturns a 2021 SNP majority of 4,582 and marks a 7.4 per cent swing in direction of Labour. It is a major morale enhance for Scottish Labour chief Anas Sarwar, whose get together has lately lagged behind in nationwide polling.

Mr Sarwar mentioned: “I think people need to change the script, because we’ve proven the pollsters wrong.

“We’ve confirmed the commentators flawed, we have confirmed the bookies flawed.

“We’ve proven John Swinney wrong and so many others wrong too.”

But Reform additionally sought to place a optimistic spin on the outcome, declaring Scottish politics a “three-horse race” forward of Holyrood elections subsequent 12 months. The get together hoped for higher, and senior figures had mentioned they believed Reform would come not less than second.

Meanwhile a Labour victory had been written off, with campaigners pointing to voters’ fury on the get together over points together with Sir Keir’s winter gasoline cuts.

Sir Keir congratulated his candidate and mentioned the folks of Scotland “have once again voted for change”. Writing on X, previously Twitter, he mentioned: “Next year there is a chance to turbo charge delivery by putting Labour in power on both sides of the border.”

Scottish first minister John Swinney had earlier dismissed Labour’s probabilities, insisting the by-election was a “two-horse race” between the SNP and Reform UK. That prediction proved inaccurate as Labour mounted an efficient floor marketing campaign, returning to a seat they’d held earlier than the SNP’s rise within the 2010s.

In his victory speech, Mr Russell condemned each the SNP’s document in workplace and the rise of Reform UK, saying: “Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse has voted tonight to take a brand new course with Scottish Labour.

“Like the people here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, and right across Scotland, we all feel we have been let down by the SNP.

“They have damaged the NHS, wasted our cash and after almost 20 years they do not deserve one other likelihood.”

He also directly addressed Reform UK’s controversial presence in the campaign. “This community has sent a message to Farage and his mob: the poison of Reform isn’t us, it isn’t Scotland and we don’t want your division here.”

The campaign had turned increasingly bitter in recent weeks.

Labour and the SNP both accused Reform of racism over an online video ad that featured distorted remarks from Mr Sarwar and falsely suggested he intended to prioritise the Pakistani community. The video was published on social media platforms owned by Meta and is now subject to formal complaints.

Mr Farage defended the ad, claiming Mr Sarwar was engaging in “sectarian politics”. In response, Mr Sarwar labelled Mr Farage “a pathetic, poisonous little man”.

Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice, who attended the count, said he was “thrilled to bits” with the third-place finish.

“It’s a fantastic result, just a few hundred votes away from the SNP, nobody predicted that,” he told PA. Mr Tice described the performance as a “massive boost” and said the party would take time to assess how to capitalise on the momentum ahead of the 2026 Holyrood elections.

Reform UK has yet to win an election in Scotland but has grown its vote share in several recent by-elections. The party’s rise, even if not translating to victory, reflects mounting dissatisfaction among some voters with both the SNP and Labour.

Ms Loudon, the SNP candidate and former councillor, endured her third electoral defeat in the area, having lost the Rutherglen and Hamilton West Westminster by-election in 2023 and again in the 2024 general election.

Mr Swinney said she had “fought a superb SNP campaign” and expressed disappointment at the outcome, stating: “Labour gained by an absolute landslide on this space lower than a 12 months in the past – we got here a lot nearer tonight, however the folks of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have made clear that we nonetheless have work to do.

“Over the next few days, we will take time to consider the result fully.”

Scottish structure secretary Angus Robertson echoed that sentiment, calling for the get together to “look very closely” on the outcome and “learn the lessons” in time for the upcoming nationwide elections.

The by-election noticed a comparatively excessive 44.2 per cent turnout. Scottish Labour’s marketing campaign benefited from a extremely organised floor operation, together with a number of candidate visits, focused digital promoting, and door-to-door engagement. Senior Labour figures mentioned some properties had been canvassed as much as 4 occasions.

The by-election’s final result is especially significant for Mr Sarwar, who has confronted inner challenges and a dip in polling since Labour’s robust displaying within the earlier basic election.

Labour hopes this newest victory will echo their 2023 success within the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, which supplied a springboard into the next basic election.

Mr Russell, a lifelong resident of the realm from the village of Quarter, beforehand labored in native authorities. Despite restricted media appearances throughout the marketing campaign, together with a refusal to attend an STV debate, his native credentials and the get together’s strategic campaigning seem to have resonated with voters.