Former SNP Health Secretary calls for John Swinney to resign after Hamilton by-election loss
Alex Neil said the current SNP leadership needs to be "replaced urgently".
A former SNP Health Secretary has called for John Swinney to resign after the SNP's by-election loss.
Alex Neil said the current SNP leadership needs to be "replaced urgently".
Labour's Davy Russell won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election despite some polls suggesting they could finish third.
First Minister Swinney had said that it was a "two-horse race" between the SNP and Reform.
Neil posted on X shortly after the result was announced: "Poor by election result for the SNP despite having the best candidate.
"It shows that the opinion polls appear wide of the mark.
"Most importantly it shows the current SNP leadership needs to be replaced urgently."
Neil served as Health Secretary between 2012 and 2014, later serving as Social Justice Secretary.
He has been a critic of the SNP leadership since standing down as an MSP in 2021.
Russell beat the Nationalists' Katy Loudon - who has now lost three elections since late 2023 - by 602 votes, with Reform's Ross Lambie another 869 behind.
His surprise victory came after some bookies had put Labour at 11/1.
The SNP had been expected to win, with some in the Labour ranks fearing they could fall into third behind Reform.
Despite Labour winning two thirds of Scottish seats at last year's general election, the party has fallen back in the polls since then.
This had led to the expectation that the SNP would win next year's Holyrood election.
But last night's result was hailed by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who said voters "have laid the first stone in the pathway to a Scottish Labour Government next year."
He continued: "It's absolutely game on for next year. We've proven the pundits wrong, we've proven the pollsters wrong, we've proven the political commentators wrong, we've proven the bookies wrong."
Russell took the seat vacated by the death of Scottish Government minister and SNP MSP Christina McKelvie.
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