30 m. ago SNP came ‘frustratingly close’ to victory in Hamilton, says Swinney

The by-election was won by Scottish Labour’s Davy Russell.

Politics

10 h. ago Scottish Labour 'naive' to expect widespread gains at 2026 Holyrood election after Hamilton victory

An ex-Labour MP urged Anas Sarwar to distance himself from unpopular policy decisions taken by Keir Starmer if he wants to become the next first minister.

Politics

10 h. ago Voters in Hamilton chose hope over despair and more Scots will do the same next year

In his regular column for the Record, the Scottish Labour leader says the 2026 Holyrood election will give voters a direct choice between him and John Swinney to become the next First Minister.

Politics

14 h. ago SNP calls on Labour to match Scottish Government action on poverty

The SNP said Scotland is the only part of the UK where child poverty is falling, due to ‘bold’ policies.

Politics

23 h. ago SNP tried to push Scots 'into the arms of Reform' during Hamilton by

The Scottish Labour leader tore into the Nationalists following a bitter by-election race in South Lanarkshire.

Politics

68 h. ago The Guardian view on Scottish politics: Labour wins the seat but not – yet – the argument | Editorial

A Tory collapse, the SNP’s slump and Reform’s rise signal a volatile shift – and the return to deal-making after the next Holyrood electionLabour’s victory in the Holyrood byelection offers the UK government a rare political comfort but not, perhaps, the strategic breakthrough it might like to imagine. A late flurry of welfare signalling, a dogged ground campaign and a carefully staged visit to a Govan shipyard by Sir Keir Starmer helped shore up Labour’s appeal to its traditional voters in Scotland’s industrial belt. Yet as Prof John Curtice has noted, Labour’s share of the vote actually declined compared with the last time voters cast ballots here in 2021 – a year in which the party was placed a distant third and was polling at the same dismal level of public support, 20%, it has today.The prime minister will gladly pocket Davy Russell’s win in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. But it is a foothold. There is still a steep climb to the summit. More te...

Politics

69 h. ago Farage's Reform storms into Scottish politics as SNP flops, Tories fail and Labour pulls off shock win

Commentary: Reform shows it can compete north of the border too

Events

3 d. ago Labour byelection win shows ‘SNP’s balloon has burst’, says Anas Sarwar

Scottish Labour leader accuses SNP of misinformation in its campaign and attacks Reform’s ‘dirty’ tacticsUK politics live – latest updatesScottish Labour’s surprise byelection win proves “the SNP’s balloon has burst”, a jubilant Anas Sarwar has said, after the popular local candidate Davy Russell defied predictions to beat the incumbent Scottish National party and fight off Reform UK’s “racist” campaigning in the central Scotland seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.Sarwar told a victory rally in Hamilton town centre on Friday morning that Labour had proved everyone wrong following speculation that Reform UK might push it into third place, as the rightwing populist party gained ground in Scotland for the first time. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Don’t think Nigel Farage will kill off the Tories? Just look at Reform UK’s surge in Scotland | Owen Jones

The party is making inroads among people who once chose not to vote. But as Zia Yusuf’s resignation shows, chaos still reignsIf you were doubting that Nigel Farage had a serious chance of heading a hard-right British government in 2029, the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse just poured a bucket of particularly icy water over your head. Though Labour won the Scottish parliamentary byelection, defying predictions it would be beaten into third place, Reform UK chalked up more than a quarter of the vote – trailing the victors by an unsubstantial 1,500 voters.This tells a devastating story. Nigel Farage’s outfit seriously outperformed the level of support indicated by Scottish polling: the last four surveys had Reform on between 12% and 19%, yet it secured 26% of the vote after standing here for the first time. This suggests it is mobilising previous non-voters whom pollsters are not picking up. The latest UK-wide YouGov poll, which asked people how they would vote if there wer...

Events

3 d. ago Badenoch insists Tories are still the main opposition to Labour

The Tories won just 6% of the vote in a Scottish Parliament by-election this week.

Politics

3 d. ago Nigel Farage's Reform storms into Scottish politics as SNP flops, Tories fail and Labour pulls off shock win

Commentary: Reform shows it can compete north of the border too

Events

3 d. ago Scottish Labour MSP issues message for ‘Farage’s mob’ after shock by

A newly-elected MSP sent a brutal message to Nigel Farage’s “mob” following a surprise Scottish Labour win at a by-election on Friday (6 June).

Events

3 d. ago Starmer hails Labour victory after surprise win in Hamilton byelection for Scottish parliament – UK politics live

PM congratulates Davy Russell but Reform also performed strongly, gaining third place with 26% of the voteScottish Labour win pivotal Holyrood byelectionHere is an extract from the full statement John Swinney, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, issued after the byelection result was announced. He said it showed the need for the SNP to offer “a vision of hope and optimism”.Labour won by an absolute landslide in this area less than a year ago - we came much closer tonight but the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have made clear that we still have work to do. Over the next few days we will take time to consider the result fully. When I became leader of the SNP last year I made clear my intention to bring the party together and focus more than ever on standing up for the people of Scotland. During this campaign we heard a lot of anger about the cost of living - and it is clearer than ever that Westminster control is making Scotland poorer, whether that is the damage ...

Politics

3 d. ago Relief for Starmer in Hamilton, but Reform has arrived as a force in Scotland

A Scottish Labour win in the Hamilton by-election has handed the prime minister a much needed boost, but the result reveals that Reform is a growing threat in parts of the UK Nigel Farage has never appealed to before, writes David Maddox

Politics

3 d. ago Surprise Hamilton win ‘changes the script’ for Scottish Labour, leader says

Davy Russell won the contest, with the SNP coming narrowly ahead of Reform.

Politics

3 d. ago Scottish Labour win pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating incumbent SNP and surging Reform UK

Voters in the central seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse rallied around popular local candidate Davy RussellScottish Labour has won a pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating the incumbent SNP and fighting off Reform UK’s aggressive racist campaigning, in a remarkable turnaround of fortunes that will boost the party ahead of next year’s Scottish parliamentary elections.Voters in the central Scotland seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse rallied round the popular local candidate Davy Russell after a toxic campaign that saw Nigel Farage launch an unprecedented series of personal racist attacks on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Scottish Labour wins pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating incumbent SNP and surging Reform UK

Labour celebrated the ‘incredible’ win in the central seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, as voters rallied around popular local candidate Davy RussellScottish Labour is celebrating an “incredible” win in a pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating the incumbent SNP and fighting off Reform UK’s “racist” campaigning, in a result that confounded predictions and will boost the party ahead of next year’s Scottish parliamentary elections.Voters in the central Scotland seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse rallied round the popular local candidate Davy Russell after a toxic campaign that saw Nigel Farage launch an unprecedented series of personal attacks on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, labelled racist by SNP leader John Swinney. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago First Minister says plans to downgrade Wishaw neonatal unit are “not about saving money”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the plans for the neonatal intensive care unit (Nicu) at University Hospital Wishaw show the NHS is “simply not safe in John Swinney’s hands”.

Politics

4 d. ago Farage Reform UK gunning for shock breakthrough in Scotland in 'two horse' by

Reform UK is trying to jump from 0.2% of the vote to challenge the Scottish National Party and Labour for the Hamilton Larkhall and Stonehouse seat

Events

4 d. ago Voices: Has Scotland fallen for English nationalist Nigel Farage?

If Reform performs well in the Hamilton by-election – a Scottish Parliamentary seat that Labour ought to be able to take from the beleaguered SNP – the symbolism will send a message directly to the heart of Downing Street, says John Rentoul

Politics