Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election: Keir Starmer hails 'seismic result' as Labour defeats SNP

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has hailed a "seismic result" for his party after Labour won the by-election vote in the Scottish seat of Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

Labour candidate Michael Shanks marked a huge win by securing more than twice the votes of his SNP rival in the vote, Katy Loudon. Shanks won 17,845 votes on the night, compared to Loudon's 8,399 votes, marking a swing of a huge 20.4%. The turnout for the election was 37.3% with 30,531 - this fell well short of the 2019 turnout of 66.5%.

Other candidates on the ballot included Scottish Conservatives' Thomas Kerr who placed third, ahead of Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate Gloria Adebo in fourth and Scottish Greens Camron Eadie in fifth. They won 1,192 votes, 895 votes and 601 votes respectively.

The seat was up for grabs after SNP's Margaret Ferrier was recalled from her position following a Covid-19 rule breach in 2020. The former MP had the party whip removed after she was found to have travelled to London while experiencing Covid-19 symptoms and travelled back to Scotland after returning a positive test. Ferrier, who continued to serve as an independent MP after having the whip removed, had won the seat in Rutherglen and Hamilton West in 2019 with a majority of 5,230.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer praised the result for his party, saying that voters in the Scottish constituency had "sent a clear message" that it is "time for change". He said: “I have always said that winning back the trust of people in Scotland is essential. Tonight’s victory is the culmination of three and a half years of hard work and humility on that journey.

“I am grateful to everyone who has put their faith in us today – we will work every day to repay it. Voters across Scotland and across Britain want a government determined to deliver for working people, with a proper plan to rebuild our country. They want to move on from two SNP and Tory governments that offer only more division, more chaos and more infighting.”

Speaking at the count in Hamilton, Shanks added: “The message from tonight is a resoundingly clear one – we have had more than enough of managed decline, more than enough of division, more than enough of distracted, chaotic government. Labour can kick the Tories out of Downing Street next year and deliver the change people want and this country so badly needs. Tonight is one part of that journey.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar echoed the sentiments of his colleagues, saying that the result was "humiliating" for SNP leader Humza Yousaf and his party. Sarwar said: “This is an absolutely extraordinary result, a seismic result and I think this will send shockwaves through the SNP and a historic moment in Scottish politics.

“I think Scottish politics has fundamentally changed tonight. The people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West have demonstrated that Scotland are sick of two failing governments. They want the incompetence, chaos and the division to come to an end.”

Yousaf posted on X (formerly Twitter) that it was a "disappointing night" for his party. He said: "I want to thank our exceptional candidate @KatyLoudonSNP and our activists for their incredible efforts. Let me also congratulate Michael Shanks on being elected."

The Scottish First Minister added that "circumstances of this by-election were always very difficult" for the SNP. He added: "We lost this seat in 2017, and like 2019 we can win this seat back. However, we will reflect on what we have to do to regain the trust of the people of Rutherglen & Hamilton West."