Labour wins Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election as SNP and Reform suffer shock defeat
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Scottish Labour overturns SNP majority to win key by-election
- Labour's Davy Russell has won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election in Scotland, defeating SNP candidate Katy Loudon and overturning a 2021 SNP majority of 4,582 votes.
- The victory is a significant boost for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, whose party had been lagging in national polls, and is seen as a test of Labour's ability to challenge the SNP's control of Holyrood.
- Reform UK's candidate Ross Lambie came in third, narrowly behind the SNP, leading the party to declare Scottish politics a “three-horse race” ahead of next year’s Holyrood elections.
- In his victory speech, Mr Russell criticised the SNP's record and condemned the rise of Reform UK, saying the community had sent a message rejecting leader Nigel Farage's divisive politics.
- The campaign was marked by accusations of racism, with Labour and the SNP criticising a Reform UK online video ad, which Reform UK defended.