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Scotsman
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
John Swinney accuses Nigel Farage of 'racism' as by-election blows reign down on Hamilton
Thursday's by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse draws nearer - and the campaign grows increasingly hostile. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... First Minister John Swinney has accused Nigel Farage of 'racism and hatred' during the last days of an increasingly bruising campaign ahead of the Hamilton by-election. As activists gathered in Hamilton on Saturday, Mr Swinney hit out at the Reform UK leader, claiming he was a 'real threat' while adding Labour was now 'out of the contest'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney addresses party activists in Hamilton. Picture: Craig Paton/PA Wire | Craig Paton/PA Wire His remarks come as a respected pollster comfortably put the SNP on track for a win in Thursday's vote in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse and warned that Reform UK taking second place would reflect the 'level and the depth of the disillusion' amongst the electorate. Meanwhile, Labour support has fallen back to 2021 levels, polling expert Mark Diffley, founder of the Diffley Partnership, said. Earlier in the campaign, Mr Farage's party was roundly criticised after an ad claimed Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was prioritising Pakistani people over Scots and included a section of a speech in which he encouraged more people from south Asian backgrounds to enter politics. In response, Mr Sarwar described Mr Farage as 'a poisonous, pathetic and toxic little man' over the weekend. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In Hamilton, Mr Swinney addressed supporters - including a number of MSPs, former MPs and candidates for the 2026 Holyrood election. He contrasted Reform UK with former minister Christina McKelvie, whose death prompted the by-election. He said: 'This is a by-election that none of us wanted to be fighting, because it meant that we'd lost somebody we loved, Christina McKelvie, who was an individual that represented generosity, tolerance and inclusion. 'That was how she went about her work in this constituency and in Parliament, and that's the antithesis of what's been brought into this by-election campaign by the politics of Nigel Farage, who's brought racism and hatred right into the heart of this community, and it is repugnant. 'We are going to stand up to it in every way we can.' In response to journalists, the First Minister said he was not concerned about defamation claims stemming from his allegations of racism against Mr Farage. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When the by-election was called, it was widely seen as a two-horse race between the SNP's Katy Loudon and Labour's Davy Russell, but recent weeks have seen a surge in fortune for Mr Farage's party and claims that Mr Russell has swerved key tests of his candidacy after he apparently turned down the chance to take part in a live STV debate. After addressing activists, Mr Swinney told reporters it was 'very clear' that Labour is 'out of this contest' and it is now 'between the SNP and Farage'. He added: 'I want to make sure that Farage's politics don't get any hold in Scotland, they are damaging. 'If Farage gets in here, then you know the agenda of NHS privatisation is what will follow, the agenda of undermining the Scottish Parliament will follow, because that's what he believes in.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Elsewhere in Hamilton on Saturday, Reform UK's candidate, architect Ross Lambie, gathered activists ahead of a canvassing session, including some bussed into the constituency from the north of England. Mr Lambie was asked why the parties believed to be the frontrunners at the beginning of the campaign were spending so much time on Reform. 'They're doing their canvassing and they're getting the same results as we are, that's why,' he said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He added: 'We're getting votes from across the area. If you were to chat to these volunteers, you'll find some of them were SNP voters in the past, many of them were Labour voters, Conservative voters.' On Saturday, Mr Sarwar said Labour was still in the race for the sea. He added: 'It's between ourselves and the SNP, every single vote is going to count. 'That's why, if you want to beat the SNP, if you want a local champion, if you want to start that pathway to a new direction, the best way of doing that is to vote for one of your own – vote for Davy Russell.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Despite Mr Swinney's claim it was a two-horse race between SNP and Reform UK, Mr Diffley stressed the SNP head to Thursday's poll as clear favourites. Speaking to Scotland on Sunday, he said: 'What the national polling is telling us is that Reform won't win - it's telling us that the SNP will win or at least start as favourites to win. 'They are now significantly ahead in the national polling - at around 35 or 36 per cent, on average. Labour are polling at about 20 per cent on average, Reform at 15 per cent.' Mr Diffley said that there was 'enough evidence to be quite confident that the SNP will win', but who finishes second is less certain. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said: 'The whole position of the parties in the last nine months has shifted in an incredibly fluid and quite dramatic way. If this by-election was this time last year, then Labour would have been odds on to win it. But a year on, they are odds on to lose it.' If Reform do manage to tip Labour and take second place, Mr Diffley starkly cautioned it would send a warning shot to Scottish politics about how out of love voters are with the mainstream parties.
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Farage has brought ‘racism and hatred' to Hamilton by-election, says Swinney
The Scottish First Minster hit out at the Reform UK leader, claiming he was a 'real threat' ahead of voting in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election on Thursday. Criticism has been levelled at Mr Farage's party after a Facebook ad claimed Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was prioritising Pakistani people over Scots and included a section of a speech in which he encouraged more people from south Asian backgrounds to enter politics. Addressing activists – including a number of MSPs, former MPs and candidates for the 2026 Holyrood election – in Hamilton on Saturday, Mr Swinney contrasted Reform UK with former minister Christina McKelvie, whose death prompted the by-election. 'This is a by-election that none of us wanted to be fighting, because it meant that we'd lost somebody we loved, Christina McKelvie, who was an individual that represented generosity, tolerance and inclusion,' he said. 'That was how she went about her work in this constituency and in Parliament, and that's the antithesis of what's been brought into this by-election campaign by the politics of Nigel Farage, who's brought racism and hatred right into the heart of this community, and it is repugnant. 'We are going to stand up to it in every way we can.' In response to journalists, the First Minister said he was not concerned about defamation claims stemming from his allegations of racism against Mr Farage. When the by-election was called, it was widely seen as a two-horse race between the SNP's Katy Loudon and Labour's Davy Russell, but recent weeks have seen a surge in fortune for Mr Farage's party. Speaking to the PA news agency after his speech, the First Minister said it is 'very clear' that Labour is 'out of this contest' and it is now 'between the SNP and Farage'. 'I want to make sure that Farage's politics don't get any hold in Scotland, they are damaging,' he said. In his speech, the First Minister repeatedly referenced Mr Farage, but when asked if he was increasing the chance of Reform gaining a foothold by paying the party's leader so much attention, Mr Swinney said: 'I've just got to make sure that people in this constituency are aware of the threat that Farage poses in this election. 'If Farage gets in here, then you know the agenda of NHS privatisation is what will follow, the agenda of undermining the Scottish Parliament will follow, because that's what he believes in.' Elsewhere in Hamilton on Saturday, Reform UK's candidate Ross Lambie gathered activists ahead of a canvassing session, including some bussed into the constituency from the north of England. Speaking to journalists, Mr Lambie was asked why the parties believed to be the frontrunners at the beginning of the campaign were spending so much time on Reform. 'They're doing their canvassing and they're getting the same results as we are, that's why,' he said. He added: 'We are super proud that we're not being pigeon-holed with any particular voter and we're not being boxed into certain aspects of the community. 'We're getting votes from across the area. 'If you were to chat to these volunteers, you'll find some of them were SNP voters in the past, many of them were Labour voters, Conservative voters. 'So that's the thing we're most proud of, that we're breaking down those old barriers in Scottish politics.' Mr Sarwar said Labour is still in the race for the seat in Thursday's vote. 'It's between ourselves and the SNP, every single vote is going to count,' he told PA on Saturday. 'That's why, if you want to beat the SNP, if you want a local champion, if you want to start that pathway to a new direction, the best way of doing that is to vote for one of your own – vote for Davy Russell.' The Labour leader also accused the First Minister of 'talking up Reform for a very, very long time', an assertion Mr Swinney rejects, while saying he would 'call out Nigel Farage's poison'.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Farage has brought ‘racism and hatred' to Hamilton by-election, says Swinney
Criticism has been levelled at Mr Farage's party after a Facebook ad claimed Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was prioritising Pakistani people over Scots and included a section of a speech in which he encouraged more people from south Asian backgrounds to enter politics. Nigel Farage (Ben Whitley/PA) Addressing activists – including a number of MSPs, former MPs and candidates for the 2026 Holyrood election – in Hamilton on Saturday, Mr Swinney contrasted Reform UK with former minister Christina McKelvie, whose death prompted the by-election. 'This is a by-election that none of us wanted to be fighting, because it meant that we'd lost somebody we loved, Christina McKelvie, who was an individual that represented generosity, tolerance and inclusion,' he said. 'That was how she went about her work in this constituency and in Parliament, and that's the antithesis of what's been brought into this by-election campaign by the politics of Nigel Farage, who's brought racism and hatred right into the heart of this community, and it is repugnant. 'We are going to stand up to it in every way we can.' In response to journalists, the First Minister said he was not concerned about defamation claims stemming from his allegations of racism against Mr Farage. When the by-election was called, it was widely seen as a two-horse race between the SNP's Katy Loudon and Labour's Davy Russell, but recent weeks have seen a surge in fortune for Mr Farage's party. Speaking to the PA news agency after his speech, the First Minister said it is 'very clear' that Labour is 'out of this contest' and it is now 'between the SNP and Farage'. 'I want to make sure that Farage's politics don't get any hold in Scotland, they are damaging,' he said. In his speech, the First Minister repeatedly referenced Mr Farage, but when asked if he was increasing the chance of Reform gaining a foothold by paying the party's leader so much attention, Mr Swinney said: 'I've just got to make sure that people in this constituency are aware of the threat that Farage poses in this election. 'If Farage gets in here, then you know the agenda of NHS privatisation is what will follow, the agenda of undermining the Scottish Parliament will follow, because that's what he believes in.' Elsewhere in Hamilton on Saturday, Reform UK's candidate Ross Lambie gathered activists ahead of a canvassing session, including some bussed into the constituency from the north of England. Speaking to journalists, Mr Lambie was asked why the parties believed to be the frontrunners at the beginning of the campaign were spending so much time on Reform. 'They're doing their canvassing and they're getting the same results as we are, that's why,' he said. He added: 'We are super proud that we're not being pigeon-holed with any particular voter and we're not being boxed into certain aspects of the community. 'We're getting votes from across the area. 'If you were to chat to these volunteers, you'll find some of them were SNP voters in the past, many of them were Labour voters, Conservative voters. 'So that's the thing we're most proud of, that we're breaking down those old barriers in Scottish politics.' Anas Sarwar (Andrew Milligan/PA) Mr Sarwar said Labour is still in the race for the seat in Thursday's vote. 'It's between ourselves and the SNP, every single vote is going to count,' he told PA on Saturday. 'That's why, if you want to beat the SNP, if you want a local champion, if you want to start that pathway to a new direction, the best way of doing that is to vote for one of your own – vote for Davy Russell.' The Labour leader also accused the First Minister of 'talking up Reform for a very, very long time', an assertion Mr Swinney rejects, while saying he would 'call out Nigel Farage's poison'.
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Farage has brought ‘racism and hatred' to Hamilton by-election, says Swinney
The Scottish First Minster hit out at the Reform UK leader, claiming he was a 'real threat' ahead of voting in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election on Thursday. Criticism has been levelled at Mr Farage's party after a Facebook ad claimed Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was prioritising Pakistani people over Scots and included a section of a speech in which he encouraged more people from south Asian backgrounds to enter politics. Addressing activists – including a number of MSPs, former MPs and candidates for the 2026 Holyrood election – in Hamilton on Saturday, Mr Swinney contrasted Reform UK with former minister Christina McKelvie, whose death prompted the by-election. 'This is a by-election that none of us wanted to be fighting, because it meant that we'd lost somebody we loved, Christina McKelvie, who was an individual that represented generosity, tolerance and inclusion,' he said. 'That was how she went about her work in this constituency and in Parliament, and that's the antithesis of what's been brought into this by-election campaign by the politics of Nigel Farage, who's brought racism and hatred right into the heart of this community, and it is repugnant. 'We are going to stand up to it in every way we can.' In response to journalists, the First Minister said he was not concerned about defamation claims stemming from his allegations of racism against Mr Farage. When the by-election was called, it was widely seen as a two-horse race between the SNP's Katy Loudon and Labour's Davy Russell, but recent weeks have seen a surge in fortune for Mr Farage's party. Speaking to the PA news agency after his speech, the First Minister said it is 'very clear' that Labour is 'out of this contest' and it is now 'between the SNP and Farage'. 'I want to make sure that Farage's politics don't get any hold in Scotland, they are damaging,' he said. In his speech, the First Minister repeatedly referenced Mr Farage, but when asked if he was increasing the chance of Reform gaining a foothold by paying the party's leader so much attention, Mr Swinney said: 'I've just got to make sure that people in this constituency are aware of the threat that Farage poses in this election. 'If Farage gets in here, then you know the agenda of NHS privatisation is what will follow, the agenda of undermining the Scottish Parliament will follow, because that's what he believes in.' Elsewhere in Hamilton on Saturday, Reform UK's candidate Ross Lambie gathered activists ahead of a canvassing session, including some bussed into the constituency from the north of England. Speaking to journalists, Mr Lambie was asked why the parties believed to be the frontrunners at the beginning of the campaign were spending so much time on Reform. 'They're doing their canvassing and they're getting the same results as we are, that's why,' he said. He added: 'We are super proud that we're not being pigeon-holed with any particular voter and we're not being boxed into certain aspects of the community. 'We're getting votes from across the area. 'If you were to chat to these volunteers, you'll find some of them were SNP voters in the past, many of them were Labour voters, Conservative voters. 'So that's the thing we're most proud of, that we're breaking down those old barriers in Scottish politics.' Mr Sarwar said Labour is still in the race for the seat in Thursday's vote. 'It's between ourselves and the SNP, every single vote is going to count,' he told PA on Saturday. 'That's why, if you want to beat the SNP, if you want a local champion, if you want to start that pathway to a new direction, the best way of doing that is to vote for one of your own – vote for Davy Russell.' The Labour leader also accused the First Minister of 'talking up Reform for a very, very long time', an assertion Mr Swinney rejects, while saying he would 'call out Nigel Farage's poison'.
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Nigel Farage has brought 'racism and hatred' to Hamilton by-election
Scotland's First Minister hit out at the Reform UK leader, claiming he was a 'real threat' ahead of voting in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election on Thursday. Criticism has been levelled at Farage's party after a Facebook ad claimed Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was prioritising Pakistani people over Scots and included a section of a speech in which he encouraged more people from south Asian backgrounds to enter politics. Addressing activists – including a number of MSPs, former MPs and candidates for the 2026 Holyrood election – in Hamilton on Saturday, Swinney contrasted Reform UK with former minister Christina McKelvie, whose death prompted the by-election. READ MORE: Why the UK media 180 on Gaza is too little, too late 'This is a by-election that none of us wanted to be fighting, because it meant that we'd lost somebody we loved, Christina McKelvie, who was an individual that represented generosity, tolerance and inclusion,' he said. 'That was how she went about her work in this constituency and in Parliament, and that's the antithesis of what's been brought into this by-election campaign by the politics of Nigel Farage, who's brought racism and hatred right into the heart of this community, and it is repugnant. 'We are going to stand up to it in every way we can.' In response to journalists, the First Minister said he was not concerned about defamation claims stemming from his allegations of racism against Farage. (Image: Craig Paton/PA Wire) When the by-election was called, it was widely seen as a two-horse race between the SNP's Katy Loudon and Labour's Davy Russell, but recent weeks have seen a surge in fortune for Farage's party. Speaking to the PA news agency after his speech, the First Minister said it is 'very clear' that Labour is 'out of this contest' and it is now 'between the SNP and Farage'. 'I want to make sure that Farage's politics don't get any hold in Scotland, they are damaging,' he said. In his speech, the First Minister repeatedly referenced Farage, but when asked if he was increasing the chance of Reform gaining a foothold by paying the party's leader so much attention, Swinney said: 'I've just got to make sure that people in this constituency are aware of the threat that Farage poses in this election. 'If Farage gets in here, then you know the agenda of NHS privatisation is what will follow, the agenda of undermining the Scottish Parliament will follow, because that's what he believes in.' Elsewhere in Hamilton on Saturday, Reform UK's candidate Ross Lambie gathered activists ahead of a canvassing session, including some bussed into the constituency from the north of England. (Image: Gordon Terris) Speaking to journalists, Lambie was asked why the parties believed to be the frontrunners at the beginning of the campaign were spending so much time on Reform. 'They're doing their canvassing and they're getting the same results as we are, that's why,' he said. He added: 'We are super proud that we're not being pigeon-holed with any particular voter and we're not being boxed into certain aspects of the community. 'We're getting votes from across the area. 'If you were to chat to these volunteers, you'll find some of them were SNP voters in the past, many of them were Labour voters, Conservative voters. 'So that's the thing we're most proud of, that we're breaking down those old barriers in Scottish politics.' (Image: Gordon Terris) Sarwar said Labour is still in the race for the seat in Thursday's vote. 'It's between ourselves and the SNP, every single vote is going to count,' he told PA on Saturday. The Scottish Labour leader also accused the First Minister of 'talking up Reform for a very, very long time', an assertion Swinney rejects, while saying he would 'call out Nigel Farage's poison'.
