Key Points
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Scottish Labour candidate Davy Russell wins by 602 votes - Russell: ‘The poison of Reform isn’t us, it isn’t Scotland, and we don’t want your division here’
- SNP narrowly beat Reform UK into second place
- John Swinney’s party down 16.8% since 2021 when they won by more than 4,000 votes
- First Minister says his party ‘still has work to do’
- Tory votes in Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse down 11.5% since 2021
- Reform ‘only just getting started in Scotland’, says Farage
Scottish Labour stunned the SNP to win the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election by just 602 votes.
Davy Russell’s victory comes despite First Minister John Swinney having declared the contest to be a two-horse race between the SNP and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
When the votes were counted, Russell polled 8,559, with the SNP’s Katy Loudon coming second on 7,957, ahead of Reform’s Ross Lambie, who secured 7,088 votes.
Turnout was 44.2%, with a total of 27,155 votes cast on Thursday out of a possible electorate of 61,485.
Moments after the declaration, Russell said: “I’m so proud to be elected MSP for my home and my community.”
“Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse voted tonight to take a new direction with Scottish Labour.
STV News“Like the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse – and right across Scotland – we all feel we’ve been let down by the SNP. After nearly two decades [in power], they don’t deserve another chance.”
Russell said his election also sent a message to “Nigel Farage and his mob” tonight.
He added: “The poison of Reform isn’t us, it isn’t Scotland, and we don’t want your division here.
Russell was previously accused of running a “car crash campaign” after refusing to participate in an STV debate.
Lambie subsequently accused his opponent of being the “invisible man” and “running scared”.
But Reform’s Scottish breakthrough in Hamilton failed to materialise, and voters in the region turned against the SNP.
Getty ImagesScottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “I think people need to change the script, because we’ve proven the pollsters wrong.
“We’ve proven the commentators wrong, we’ve proven the bookies wrong.
“We’ve proven John Swinney wrong and so many others wrong too.”
Responding to the SNP’s defeat, Swinney said: “Congratulations to Davy Russell on his election as MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.
He wrote: “Katy Loudon fought a superb SNP campaign. We have made progress since the election last year but not enough. We still have work to do and we will do it.”
Sir Keir Starmer congratulated Davy Russell on his victory in the Hamilton by-election.
Writing on X, the Prime Minister said: “People in Scotland have once again voted for change.
“Next year there is a chance to turbo charge delivery by putting Labour in power on both sides of the border.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Reform leader Nigel Farage said the party was “delighted with our progress in Scotland”.
He added: “The Hamilton result marks a huge advance for the party. We are only just getting started in Scotland.”
Environment secretary Steve Reed told Times Radio: “People in Scotland, like across the rest of the UK, last July voted for change, but in Scotland they haven’t fully had that change because they’re still stuck with an SNP Government in Holyrood.”
Pointing to NHS waiting lists in Scotland, Mr Reed later added: “People want change and they backed Labour in this by-election because that’s the way you get that change.”
Reform UK had been confident in the run-up to the election, but ended up finishing third.
Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice said the result was a “massive boost for us”.
He insisted: “We’re thrilled to bits, absolutely delighted.”
The by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse was called after the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie.
She announced in August last year that she would be taking medical leave due to treatment for secondary breast cancer.
McKelvie died at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in March, aged 57.
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