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Daily Record
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
First Minister urges voters to back SNP in hotly-contested Hamilton election campaign
John Swinney now says the June 5 election is between the SNP and Reform - and is urging Labour voters to back his party John Swinney had described next week's Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse by-election as a 'three-way contest' as he made his latest visit to the constituency on Monday – but now says it is a 'straight contest between the SNP and Reform'. The First Minister, making his third visit in eight days to the battleground constituency ahead of next Thursday's Scottish Parliament by-election, says his party is 'working very hard' to retain the seat held for the last 14 years by Christina McKelvie for the SNP. Soon after his latest canvassing session, he told the Daily Record in a letter to constituency voters that 'Labour have collapsed' and asked their supporters to vote SNP to 'unite behind our shared principles, defeat Nigel Farage and refuse to be divided by a man determined to destroy the values we hold dear'. Mr Swinney had this week visited Hamilton Central railway station as he and candidate Katy Loudon highlighted the Scottish Government's forthcoming abolition of peak rail fares, which they say could save the line's regular commuters up to £900 per year, and where they were joined by a host of Holyrood ministers. The First Minister told the Hamilton Advertiser of the vital by-election, a forerunner of next May's full Scottish Parliament contest: 'The people of Hamilton will see a level of intense political activity, which demonstrates that their support matters, their community matters and political parties are engaging round about the issues they're concerned about. 'Not for the first time, it's put Hamilton on the political map of Scotland – it's been there a number of times in the past and it's there again in 2025.' He told constituents: 'Their votes matter and how the people of Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse vote will be very influential. If people want to be certain that they will be able to see off the threat from Farage they should vote for the SNP. 'It's the only guaranteed way of defeating Farage and by voting for the SNP they'll have a local campaigner in Katy Loudon who will build on the work of Christina McKelvie – much respected, admired and loved – but also will be able to be influential with the Scottish Government in taking forward the priorities of the people of Hamilton on the cost of living or improving access to healthcare.' He added of the controversial Reform leader – who is expected to visit the constituency ahead of the election: 'Nigel Farage has got to explain himself and the politics he represents. I've made no secret of the fact I am entirely and wholly opposed to his politics and I'll reflect that in what I say to the wider public.' The SNP this week joined Labour in lodging an official complaint with Facebook and Instagram publisher Meta about Reform's paid social media election adverts claiming Anas Sarwar would 'prioritise the Pakistani community', featuring a 2022 video in which the Labour leader does not make that statement. Both Mr Swinney and Ms Loudon condemned the posts as 'blatantly racist' – echoed by other parties in the by-election including the Lib Dems and Greens – with the First Minister saying: 'There are actions that Meta can take, which are to remove that advert because it is a distortion of Anas Sarwar's message. 'It serves none of us; it's what I've been concerned about for some time and why I took the steps I have in confronting this disinformation agenda. It's debasing our politics and people can't make informed judgments because it's being peddled.' SNP candidate Ms Loudon said: 'The advert in question is a blatantly racist attack which has no place in Scottish politics, and now Ross Lambie has admitted it's also completely misleading. This is totally unacceptable and shows that people cannot trust anything Reform UK says.' Mr Swinney was joined on his third constituency visit in eight days by Scottish Government figures including Neil Gray, Jenny Gilruth, Mairi McAllan and Jamie Hepburn as they joined Ms Loudon to campaign and to highlight September's end of peak rail fares. Noting that a peak return from Hamilton Central to Glasgow costs £9.20 compared to the off-peak £6, Ms Loudon said: 'The SNP is taking action to cut costs for when times are incredibly tough and Labour have repeatedly let folk down. Scrapping peak fares is a vital part of John Swinney's cost of living guarantee and will save commuters hundreds of pounds. 'The SNP is tackling the issues that matter to people in Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse, supporting households during a cost of living crisis and bringing costs down with policies like free bus travel for 2.3 million people and bringing back the winter fuel payment.' The full list of 10 candidates in the Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse by-election is: Collette Bradley (Scottish Socialist Party); Andy Brady (Scottish Family Party); Ross Lambie (Reform); Katy Loudon (SNP); Janice MacKay (UKIP); Ann McGuinness (Green); Aisha Mir (Liberal Democrats); Richard Nelson (Conservative); Davy Russell (Labour); and Marc Wilkinson (independent).
STV News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- STV News
Voters urged to ‘call time on SNP failure' as by-election looms
Voters in Lanarkshire have been urged to 'call time on SNP failure' as a Holyrood by-election campaign enters its final days. Voters will go to the polls in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election on Thursday with the SNP, Labour and Reform hoping to win the seat vacated by former government minister Christina McKelvie. The SNP and Labour were initially seen as the frontrunners but a surge by Nigel Farage's party has made a second place finish seem possible, though leaders have publicly said they believe they can win. As the final week of campaigning begins, Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie urged voters in the seat to 'chart a new direction for the whole of Scotland'. 'After almost two decades in charge, the SNP has left public services at breaking point – almost one in six Scots are on an NHS waiting list, violence is rife in our schools, and high streets across Scotland are struggling,' she said. 'We cannot risk a third decade of SNP government and only Scottish Labour can beat them. 'Ignore the desperate spin of Reform and the SNP – this by-election is a direct fight between Scottish Labour and the SNP. 'We have three days to put this failing SNP government on notice and start the journey towards a better future for Scotland.' Baillie added that the Labour Government had spent its first year in office 'working to clean up the mess left behind by 14 years of Tory chaos'. But Scots are 'still not feeling the benefit of these changes' because of the Scottish Government. 'SNP inaction means we still have sky-high NHS waiting lists, a low-pay, low-growth economy, and a devastating housing emergency,' she said. 'It's time for John Swinney and the SNP to take responsibility for their failures and admit that the blame for Scotland's biggest challenges lies squarely at the door of Bute House.' An SNP spokesperson said: 'The SNP is taking action on what matters to people – creating 100,000 additional GP appointments, 150,000 extra NHS appointments and procedures, scrapping peak rail fares, investing £186.5 million to increase teacher numbers and keeping key costs like water bills lower. 'That's what it means to put Scotland first. We recognise that times are still too tough for too many, and we are doing something about it. 'Meanwhile, Labour are letting down Scots – taking away the winter fuel payment from 900,000 Scottish pensioners, cutting £5 billion of support for disabled people and presiding over a £150 increase in energy bills. 'That's the reality of Labour in power – broken promises and Scotland treated as an afterthought – and even they know they've lost with a candidate who is running scared of hustings and debates. 'This contest is a straightforward fight between the SNP and Nigel Farage's Reform UK, and the only way to stop Farage on June 5 is by voting for Katy Loudon.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Parties jockey for power in Hamilton by-election
The famous Hamilton Park Racecourse lies on the edge of town, just beyond the boundary of the Holyrood constituency where voters are set to elect a new MSP. Its presence is a useful reminder that few places in Scotland are as familiar with runners and riders, favourites and outsiders. The current political race in this former coal mining heartland of west central Scotland will decide who represents Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse in the Scottish Parliament following the death of the SNP's Christina McKelvie. It also has wider significance. It is the largest test of voter opinion in Scotland since the UK general election in which Labour heavily defeated the SNP. It is also the first real opportunity to see if Reform UK's recent successes in England can give them what they call a "tartan bounce". The outcome will help shape the political narrative in Scotland ahead of the national Holyrood election next May. Who can I vote for in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election? While Hamilton has its place in the history of horse racing, it has also earned iconic status when it comes to jockeying for political power. It was here that Winnie Ewing made her stunning by-election breakthrough for the SNP in 1967. It was this town that gave the former NATO secretary general Lord Robertson his start at Westminster in 1978. It was the people of Hamilton South who elected Labour's Tom McCabe as the first MSP in 1999. Driving around what is now the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency, you would be forgiven for thinking the 2025 contest was a two horse race between the SNP and Reform UK. That's only because these are the parties dominating billboard advertising. This observation takes no account of the intensive door knocking, direct mailing and social media campaigning that's been going on for weeks. The SNP leader John Swinney has certainly acknowledged a third, red rosette-wearing horse in this race. My sense is that his comment came as something of a relief to Scottish Labour, who came second last time and expect to be regarded as the principal challenger to the SNP, who are defending the seat. Labour could certainly do with a win here. Having swept to power at Westminster last summer, Sir Keir Starmer's party quickly lost popularity with decisions like cutting winter fuel payments for pensioners. Even though changes to that policy have been promised, they will come too late for this by-election. The damage to Scottish Labour seems to have been done. The SNP tends to have a double digit lead over Labour in national opinion polls, with support for pro-UK parties heavily fragmented since the rise of Reform. That means that with around a third of the vote, the SNP can still be winners because Reform UK is principally drawing support away from the Conservatives and Labour. The arithmetic already takes into account a series of SNP controversies over independence strategy, gender self-identification, a police investigation into party finances, leadership changes and the collapse of a power-sharing deal with the Greens. These are challenging conditions for Scottish Labour to regain power at Holyrood after nearly two decades in the wilderness. That is the national picture suggested by a relatively limited number of opinion polls. This election is for a single constituency for which no formal polling has been published. In other words, there is plenty of room for surprise, especially if voters stay at home and turnout is low. At the start of this by-election campaign, a Labour source told me they would have a chance if the focus was on the SNP's record in government - on issues like long waits for NHS treatment. The same source said that if the vote became a referendum on Labour's first months in power at Westminster they would be in big trouble. Labour insiders now say they have identified enough potential support to win in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse if (and it could be a big if) they can mobilise voters to turn out. By contrast, SNP campaigners say they are "ahead" while acknowledging that the buzz around Reform UK following their successes in English local and mayoral elections throws in an "unknown" factor. This is a contest that nobody wanted and there appears to be little enthusiasm for the political choice on offer. A senior figure in the SNP told me they had found voters angry with Labour but far from impressed with the SNP. Many of the locals who stopped to chat with me in the centre of Hamilton were thoroughly fed up with politicians of all stripes. Elizabeth O'Donohue seemed to speak for many when she said: "I think they're all as bad as each other." Des McDonagh, who has voted SNP in the past and tried Labour in 2024, said he was now "totally dismayed with the options available". Nicole Copland accused politicians of making "false promises" to reduce the cost of living and said that when she votes "things don't really change". Rising household bills, access to healthcare, taxes on small businesses and revitalising town centres are all issues that have come up in this campaign. The public frustration with established parties is palpable and this is where Reform UK has spotted an opportunity. They have no track record of election, never mind government, at any level in Scotland. Their key figures are councillors who have defected from the Scottish Conservatives. The party is now targeting Labour voters with their UK leader Nigel Farage arguing for the threshold at which working people begin paying tax to be raised to £20,000. He wants tighter controls on immigration and the asylum system to help pay for this change. Across parties in Scotland, there is an acknowledgement that immigration is being raised by voters more than in the past. That is a policy area controlled by Westminster rather than Holyrood but that does not prevent discussion. In this campaign, Reform UK has claimed that the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar would "prioritise the Pakistani community". That is the interpretation Reform has placed on a speech Mr Sarwar gave in 2022 at an event celebrating 75 years of Pakistan's independence - despite him not actually using those words in the clips they have chosen to promote on social media. They have been accused of racism by the SNP, Labour and the Greens, with the Liberal Democrats attacking Reform UK for "scummy tactics". The Conservatives under the leadership of Russell Findlay have largely kept out of the row. By doubling down on this claim Nigel Farage attracted fresh ire from Holyrood politicians, amplifying what appears to be an attempt to motivate voters for whom immigration is a concern. I saw examples of support for Reform in this constituency and also heard voters express disgust at the party's rhetoric. Reform's minimum ambition here is to finish third and push the Conservatives into fourth place - a potential outcome for which the Scottish Tories appear to be braced. Pundits, pollsters and political journalists will analyse the results carefully for insights into voter behaviour with less than a year until every Holyrood seat comes up for grabs. If the SNP hold on, that would compound the sense that although the party is far less popular than it has been, John Swinney could still be first minister after next year's Holyrood vote. If Labour take the seat, that would confound those who have come to believe that Anas Sarwar and his team will struggle to build sufficient support to be competitive in that contest. Anything other than an SNP or Labour win in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse would be a huge political upset. That doesn't mean that whatever happens in this by-election will be replicated in the national election. They are not the same thing and voting patterns vary across the country. In the Hamilton area, candidates and boundaries change over time but this corner of Scotland's post-industrial centre is a consistent source of political intrigue. That remains the case as voters prepare for their next moment in the political spotlight. There are a total of 10 candidates contesting this by-election on Thursday 5 June. They are: Collette Bradley - Scottish Socialist Party Andy Brady - Scottish Family Party Ross Lambie - Reform Katy Loudon - SNP Janice Mackay - UK Independence Party Ann McGuinness - Greens Aisha Mir - Liberal Democrat Richard Nelson - Conservative Davy Russell - Labour Marc Wilkinson - Independent
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Parties jockey for power in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election
The famous Hamilton Park Racecourse lies on the edge of town, just beyond the boundary of the Holyrood constituency where voters are set to elect a new presence is a useful reminder that few places in Scotland are as familiar with runners and riders, favourites and current political race in this former coal mining heartland of west central Scotland will decide who represents Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse in the Scottish Parliament following the death of the SNP's Christina also has wider is the largest test of voter opinion in Scotland since the UK general election in which Labour heavily defeated the is also the first real opportunity to see if Reform UK's recent successes in England can give them what they call a "tartan bounce".The outcome will help shape the political narrative in Scotland ahead of the national Holyrood election next May. While Hamilton has its place in the history of horse racing, it has also earned iconic status when it comes to jockeying for political was here that Winnie Ewing made her stunning by-election breakthrough for the SNP in was this town that gave the former NATO secretary general Lord Robertson his start at Westminster in was the people of Hamilton South who elected Labour's Tom McCabe as the first MSP in around what is now the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency, you would be forgiven for thinking the 2025 contest was a two horse race between the SNP and Reform only because these are the parties dominating billboard observation takes no account of the intensive door knocking, direct mailing and social media campaigning that's been going on for weeks. The SNP leader John Swinney has certainly acknowledged a third, red rosette-wearing horse in this sense is that his comment came as something of a relief to Scottish Labour, who came second last time and expect to be regarded as the principal challenger to the SNP, who are defending the could certainly do with a win swept to power at Westminster last summer, Sir Keir Starmer's party quickly lost popularity with decisions like cutting winter fuel payments for though changes to that policy have been promised, they will come too late for this by-election. The damage to Scottish Labour seems to have been SNP tends to have a double digit lead over Labour in national opinion polls, with support for pro-UK parties heavily fragmented since the rise of means that with around a third of the vote, the SNP can still be winners because Reform UK is principally drawing support away from the Conservatives and arithmetic already takes into account a series of SNP controversies over independence strategy, gender self-identification, a police investigation into party finances, leadership changes and the collapse of a power-sharing deal with the Greens. These are challenging conditions for Scottish Labour to regain power at Holyrood after nearly two decades in the is the national picture suggested by a relatively limited number of opinion polls. This election is for a single constituency for which no formal polling has been other words, there is plenty of room for surprise, especially if voters stay at home and turnout is the start of this by-election campaign, a Labour source told me they would have a chance if the focus was on the SNP's record in government - on issues like long waits for NHS same source said that if the vote became a referendum on Labour's first months in power at Westminster they would be in big insiders now say they have identified enough potential support to win in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse if (and it could be a big if) they can mobilise voters to turn contrast, SNP campaigners say they are "ahead" while acknowledging that the buzz around Reform UK following their successes in English local and mayoral elections throws in an "unknown" is a contest that nobody wanted and there appears to be little enthusiasm for the political choice on offer.A senior figure in the SNP told me they had found voters angry with Labour but far from impressed with the SNP. Many of the locals who stopped to chat with me in the centre of Hamilton were thoroughly fed up with politicians of all O'Donohue seemed to speak for many when she said: "I think they're all as bad as each other."Des McDonagh, who has voted SNP in the past and tried Labour in 2024, said he was now "totally dismayed with the options available".Nicole Copland accused politicians of making "false promises" to reduce the cost of living and said that when she votes "things don't really change".Rising household bills, access to healthcare, taxes on small businesses and revitalising town centres are all issues that have come up in this public frustration with established parties is palpable and this is where Reform UK has spotted an have no track record of election, never mind government, at any level in Scotland. Their key figures are councillors who have defected from the Scottish party is now targeting Labour voters with their UK leader Nigel Farage arguing for the threshold at which working people begin paying tax to be raised to £20, wants tighter controls on immigration and the asylum system to help pay for this change. Across parties in Scotland, there is an acknowledgement that immigration is being raised by voters more than in the is a policy area controlled by Westminster rather than Holyrood but that does not prevent this campaign, Reform UK has claimed that the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar would "prioritise the Pakistani community".That is the interpretation Reform has placed on a speech Mr Sarwar gave in 2022 at an event celebrating 75 years of Pakistan's independence - despite him not actually using those words in the clips they have chosen to promote on social have been accused of racism by the SNP, Labour and the Greens, with the Liberal Democrats attacking Reform UK for "scummy tactics".The Conservatives under the leadership of Russell Findlay have largely kept out of the doubling down on this claim Nigel Farage attracted fresh ire from Holyrood politicians, amplifying what appears to be an attempt to motivate voters for whom immigration is a concern.I saw examples of support for Reform in this constituency and also heard voters express disgust at the party's minimum ambition here is to finish third and push the Conservatives into fourth place - a potential outcome for which the Scottish Tories appear to be braced. Pundits, pollsters and political journalists will analyse the results carefully for insights into voter behaviour with less than a year until every Holyrood seat comes up for the SNP hold on, that would compound the sense that although the party is far less popular than it has been, John Swinney could still be first minister after next year's Holyrood Labour take the seat, that would confound those who have come to believe that Anas Sarwar and his team will struggle to build sufficient support to be competitive in that other than an SNP or Labour win in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse would be a huge political doesn't mean that whatever happens in this by-election will be replicated in the national election. They are not the same thing and voting patterns vary across the the Hamilton area, candidates and boundaries change over time but this corner of Scotland's post-industrial centre is a consistent source of political remains the case as voters prepare for their next moment in the political spotlight. Who is standing in the by-election? There are a total of 10 candidates contesting this by-election on Thursday 5 are:Collette Bradley - Scottish Socialist PartyAndy Brady - Scottish Family PartyRoss Lambie - ReformKaty Loudon - SNPJanice Mackay - UK Independence PartyAnn McGuinness - GreensAisha Mir - Liberal DemocratRichard Nelson - ConservativeDavy Russell - LabourMarc Wilkinson - Independent
Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Times
Out with Reform as it dares to dream of Scottish by-election shock
'When the campaign started, we thought we'd beat the Tories into third and put a bit of pressure on them,' says Ross Lambie, the architect who now dares imagine he might become Reform UK's first member of the Scottish parliament when voters in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency cast their ballots in the most keenly watched Holyrood by-election in years. 'But after we started canvassing, we realised how super-angry the Labour voters were. They feel betrayed. The depth of anger took us by surprise, and they were also really open to Reform. Particularly now we're putting flesh on the bones of our policies, like scrapping the two-child cap and on the winter fuel allowance.' On the streets of Larkhall, a staunchly Unionist working-class town where Glasgow Rangers FC is the established church, former Labour voters are easily found. Sir Keir Starmer is 'sending the country down the Swanee', says one man who claims to have already voted by post for Reform. 'I don't think any of them are fit to run the country,' says another woman, citing — like many voters here — Labour's benefit cuts and the abolition of winter fuel payments as evidence of the party's willingness to betray those it ostensibly exists to support. The by-election, necessitated by the death of the popular sitting MSP Christina McKelvie, should notionally have been a straightforward contest between Labour and the SNP. McKelvie won the seat with 46 per cent of the vote and a majority of 4,582 in 2021. This is the kind of constituency upon which Labour's hopes of wresting power back from the SNP for the first time since 2007 depend. If Labour cannot win Hamilton, it cannot win Scotland. As such, the by-election is a vital test for the party's Scottish leader, Anas Sarwar. The campaign's 'air war' has been dominated by Reform, most notably via the attention and controversy generated by an advertisement placed on Facebook and Instagram in which the party claimed that while it would always 'stand up' for the people of Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse, Sarwar would 'prioritise' Scotland's small Scots-Pakistani community. This was, at best, a misrepresentation of remarks Sarwar made at a dinner celebrating the greater presence of south Asian and ethnic minority politicians in Scottish public life. The rumpus generated by what Labour and the SNP agree was an 'openly racist' pitch for nativist votes in a constituency that is almost entirely populated by white people has continued. When Farage declined to apologise for, let alone disavow, the ad, Sarwar labelled him a 'pathetic little man'. Rather than pull the video, as opponents demanded, Farage played it at a press conference being broadcast live on TV. He went on to claim Sarwar had 'introduced sectarianism into Scottish politics' — a suggestion that suggested Reform's leader is not intimately acquainted with the history of Lanarkshire politics — and then released another attack ad, with implied questioning of whether the Scottish Labour leader, born in Glasgow to immigrants from Pakistan, shared British 'values'. Following the Scottish cabinet meeting on Tuesday, senior ministers and special advisers held a special session to discuss how the SNP should approach the final ten days of campaigning. A source close to John Swinney, the first minister, acknowledged the 'risk' in 'talking up' the threat posed by Reform. Some ministers believe focusing on Reform lends Farage's party an unearned legitimacy. SNP insiders believe three outcomes remain possible: a tolerably comfortable SNP victory, an uncomfortably close SNP win, and, less likely but still plausible, a stunning Reform victory. 'Three-way fights in a by-election with a new kid on the block have never been a thing in Scotland so it is difficult to call,' said one veteran SNP campaigner, 'especially when the electorate has deserted its old allegiances.' Even SNP sources allow, however, that voters unhappy with Labour's performance at a UK level are not necessarily enthused by the SNP's record in government in Scotland either. However improbable, a Reform victory would arguably be the biggest shock in a Scottish by-election since Winnie Ewing won Hamilton for the SNP in 1967. That result marked the birth of the modern SNP and is the moment from which its long rise to prominence and power may be dated. Coincidentally, this week's Holyrood by-election covers some of the same territory as Ewing's Westminster triumph. Reform's rise is remarkable. In 2021 the party's candidate won only 58 votes in the constituency; next week everyone agrees the party will win thousands. Opinion polls, meanwhile, suggest that on current trends the party could win about 18 seats in next year's Holyrood election. Any outcome on anything remotely like that scale would be understood as a thundering rebuke to a Scottish political consensus that has hitherto seen Reform as a party of cranks and losers and, still more significantly, as a purely English political phenomenon. Wider — and perhaps grubbier — political considerations are also at play in Hamilton this week. Just as Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's closest aide, sees the upside in framing the next general election as a battle between Labour and Reform as a means by which Labour can destroy the Conservative party, so the SNP appreciates how useful Reform's rise is to their own ambitions. Reform, which has pledged to bring fiscal restraint to local government, has now unveiled plans to reduce the generosity of council staff pension schemes south of the border. Richard Tice, the party's deputy leader, told The Telegraph that councils controlled by Reform would axe final salary schemes and stop offering the perks to new recruits. Staff on existing contracts would also be awarded lower annual pay rises to offset the costs of pension schemes. A new poll for The Sunday Times reveals that support for Scottish independence has risen to 54 per cent, largely as a result of voters' disillusionment with Labour in government and the rise of Reform who, for all their current and recent success in Scotland, are still seen as unwelcome interlopers by many Scottish voters. Independence may be a largely hypothetical issue at present but SNP strategists believe the threat of 'prime minister Farage' can be used to concentrate Scottish minds. Even so, the same poll finds that voters are unenthused by the SNP as it seeks a third decade in power in Edinburgh. Only 33 per cent of Scots are inclined to support the Nationalists, a far cry from the 48 per cent who backed the party at the Holyrood election in 2021. Moreover, today's poll reveals that although Farage, who is due in the country on Monday, has an approval rating in Scotland of -25 he is significantly less unpopular than the prime minister whose rating is -39. • Hamilton by-election result will set the mood for Holyrood 2026 Charlie the labrador joins the Hamilton campaign JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse is precisely the kind of seat Labour would need to win if the party is to have any chance of repeating its stunning successes at last year's general election. Coincidentally, much of the Holyrood constituency is represented at Westminster by McSweeney's wife, Imogen Walker. Conversely, if Reform takes more votes from Unionist parties than from the SNP — and polling strongly suggests this will be the case — then the further fragmentation of the anti-SNP vote can only benefit the nationalists. Senior Labour sources outwardly at least insist they are still 'neck and neck' with the SNP and 'there is not a chance we will finish third'. Some even see some advantage in the race-based controversies that have come to dominate the campaign. 'The absence of this sort of explicit racism in mainstream Scottish politics was, obviously, previously a good thing,' a senior Labour strategist claims. 'But if Reform are going to do it, it means Anas gets to respond to it strongly and to take Farage on. 'A lot of people who were maybe tempted by Reform as a protest vote are now thinking, 'That's racist and I don't want to have anything to do with that'.'
