Scottish Labour figures fear third place in Hamilton by-election as Reform surge harms Anas Sarwar
Labour insiders say Reform are eating into their vote as they try to capture the seat from the SNP.
Senior Scottish Labour figures fear they will slump to third behind Reform UK in the crunch Holyrood by-election in Hamilton.
Sources said they expect the SNP to hold the seat and worry Farage's right wing party could run Labour close for second place.
Labour are trying to overturn a 4,582 Nationalist majority in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse after the death of the SNP 's Christina McKelvie.
But controversial decisions by the UK Government like cutting winter fuel payments have hit Labour's poll rating in Scotland.
Farage's Reform are also surging across the UK, with polls predicting they could secure over a dozen MSPs at the Holyrood election.
Insiders on the Labour campaign have painted a gloomy picture of the by-election and claim Prime Minister Keir Starmer is unpopular on the doors.
Multiple sources said support for Reform in the seat is strong and worry the anti-immigration party could come second ahead of Labour.
A senior Labour source said: 'It would be foolish to deny Reform UK could overtake Scottish Labour in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse and there is no doubt this is a possibility.
'Unlike the SNP, Anas Sarwar is rightly listening to people's concerns about immigration."
Another source predicted it would be 'tight' between Labour and Reform in the battle for second place.
However, another insider said the party data from the doorsteps looked positive and the race was 'neck and neck' between Labour and the SNP.
Scottish Labour's social media strategy has also been adjusted to combat the threat of Reform, with one post claiming a vote for Farage's party lets the SNP in 'through the back door'.
It comes after the SNP won a council by-election in West Dunbartonshire, with Reform UK pushing Labour into third. Kevin Crawford came first in the Clydebank Waterfront ward after the resignation of the SNP incumbent.
Elections expert Allan Faulds from the Ballot Box Scotland website said: 'Completely and utterly disastrous outcome for Labour here.'
A recent opinion poll also found Reform UK in line to win more seats than Labour at the next Holyrood election.
A Scottish Labour spokesman said 'The Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election is a straight choice between Scottish Labour and the SNP. We can see the consequences of SNP failure in communities right across Scotland – from the chaos in our NHS to the sorry state of our high streets to the rising levels of violence in our schools.
'Every single vote for Reform or the Tories in this by-election is a gift to the SNP and gives them the chance to continue their record of failure. Only Davy Russell and Scottish Labour can turn the page on SNP incompetence and deliver the new direction Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse needs.'
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