How will voters swing in the Airdrie and Shotts by-election?

The Scottish Parliamentary election may be over, but the political campaigning continues this week with an upcoming Westminster by-election.

On Thursday, voters in the Airdrie and Shotts constituency will cast their votes for who they want to be their next MP.

It follows the resignation of the SNP’s Neil Gray, who stood down from the role in March in order to stand as an MSP – which he was successful in doing as his party held the seat.

Mr Gray won with a 50.6% vote share (16,139 votes), with his nearest challenger, former Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard, receiving 10,671 votes.

Since the conclusion of the Holyrood election, a host of newly-elected MSPs have flocked to the constituency to back their colleagues in the race.

For the SNP, modern studies teacher Anum Qaisar-Javed is running to replace Mr Gray.

For Labour, Kenneth Stevenson, a lecturer, engineer and North Lanarkshire councillor, is contesting the seat.

If he were to win, it would bring the total number of Labour MPs from Scotland at Westminster to two, joining Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray (Edinburgh South).

Ben Callaghan, the secretary of the North Lanarkshire Conservative and Unionist Association is running for his party.

Stephen Arrundale is standing for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, and is currently the party’s treasurer.

They are joined on the list of candidates standing in the constituency by Jonathan Marc Stanley (Scottish Unionist Party), Neil Peter Manson (Social Democratic Party), Martyn William Greene (Reform UK) and Donald Mackay (UKIP).

The by-election comes shortly after the by-election in Hartlepool following the resignation of Labour’s Mike Hill.

The seat was won by Jill Mortimer for the Conservatives, with the party winning the seat for the first time in 62-years.

Following the Airdrie and Shotts by-election, there will be two further constituencies which will be contested – Batley and Spen, and Chesham and Amersham – with a date yet to be set for those to take place.