Candidates from SNP, Scottish Labour, Tories, and Reform are battling it out in the final week before the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.
The vote will take place on Thursday, June 5 with polling stations open between 7am and 10pm.
But who are the candidates and what do they stand for?
Reform UK
Reform UKReform UK candidate Ross Lambie is fighting to win the first MSP seat in Scotland for his party.
Lambie began his career as a Conservative, only defecting to Reform UK in March.
He was elected as a local councillor in South Lanarkshire for Clydesdale South in 2022.
However, he has run for multiple other seats in the region.
He ran as a Tory in the 2021 Holyrood election for Central Scotland and in the UK General Election in 2024 – losing both races.
He’s hoping the third time’s the charm for breaking into national politics in Hamilton.
Lambie said he was “born and raised” in a small mining village of South Lanarkshire, and worked in London as an architect before moving back to the area.
SNP candidate Katy Loudon
SNPSNP candidate Katy Loudon is fighting to hold the seat for her party.
She’s currently a local South Lanarkshire councillor for Cambuslang East. She was first elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2022.
Loudon has previously run for other seats in the region. At the last Holyrood election in 2021, she lost out on a Glasgow region seat, and she lost both the Rutherglen MP by-election and General Election in 2023 and 2024.
She is also hoping that the third time’s the charm for breaking into national politics in Hamilton.
Loudon comes from a family of educators. Prior to politics, she was a primary school teacher for ten years.
She said she has lived in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West region for nearly 14 years, raising her family in the area.
Scottish Conservative candidate Richard Nelson
Scottish Conservative and Unionist PartyScottish Conservative is currently a South Lanarkshire councillor for Larkhall. He was first elected in 2017 and was re-elected in 2022.
Nelson ran in the UK General Election in Hamilton and Clyde constituency last year and came third. This is his first attempt to get a seat at the Scottish Parliament.
He said he was “born and raised” in South Lanarkshire and currently lives there with his wife and two young children.
Prior to joining politics, Nelson worked for the NHS and has more than 20 years of experience within the health and care sector.
Speaking about his platform, Nelson said he wants to “put that experience to good use” as an MSP for the region.
Equipped with first-hand experience of the issues facing residents, he said he wants to make sure South Lanarkshire Council delivers a better future for the town and enhances the sense of community for everyone who calls it home.
Scottish Labour candidate Davy Russell
Scottish LabourRunning in his first ever election, Davy Russell is Scottish Labour’s candidate.
In a campaign video, Russell says he is “not a politician”.
“I’ve never stood for election before,” he says, “But I’m standing in this by-election because this is where I was born, where I live, and where I’ve raised my family.”
Russell has called himself a dad and grandad who wants to “be a champion in parliament” for the Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse constituency.
Prior to getting involved in politics, Russell began his career as a roads trainee in 1980 and ended up as a director at Glasgow City Council.
He also helps run a local hospice and represents King Charles as Deputy Lord Lieutenant in Lanarkshire.
Full list of candidates
| Candidate name | Party |
| Collette Bradley | Scottish Socialist Party |
| Andy Brady | Scottish Family Party |
| Ross Alexander Lambie | Reform UK |
| Katy Loudon | Scottish National Party (SNP) |
| Janice Elizabeth Mackay | UK Independence Party (UKIP) |
| Ann McGuinness | Scottish Green Party |
| Aisha Jawaid Mir | Scottish Liberal Democrats |
| Richard Nelson | Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party |
| Davy Russell | Scottish Labour Party |
| Marc Wilkinson | Independent |
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