The by-election that could open up Labour’s path to power? Voting takes place in crunch Rutherglen and Hamilton West contest as Keir Starmer looks for a victory over the SNP that will put him on course to be PM
Scottish voters are going to the polls in a crunch by-election today as Sir Keir Starmer faces a crucial test of his hopes of becoming prime minister.
The Rutherglen and Hamilton West contest will see a new MP chosen to replace the disgraced Margaret Ferrier, after she was kicked out over a breach of Covid rules.
The vote result – which is set to be a close battle between Labour and the SNP – is expected in the early hours of Friday morning.
There will be close scrutiny over Labour’s performance as the by-election is a key examination of the party’s bid to revive their fortunes in Scotland.
Labour currently only has one Scottish MP but party figures are hopeful of winning a slew of seats north of the border at the general election.
Regaining ground in Scotland is a key challenge for Sir Keir as he looks to become PM and he told the BBC last month he wants to win a significant number of seats in the country to ensure he has a ‘mandate’.
Scottish voters are going to the polls in a crunch by-election as Sir Keir Starmer faces a crucial test of his hopes of becoming prime minister
Polling stations in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West contest opened at 7am and close at 10pm
Michael Shanks is hoping to win the seat for Sir Keir’s party in a by-election which will be a key examination of the Labour’s bid to revive their fortunes in Scotland
SNP candidate Katy Loudon is hoping to retain a seat her party won at the 2019 general election
Asked if the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election was a must-win for Labour, he said: ‘It is very important for us. There is no getting away from that.’
One source close to Labour’s by-election campaign claimed a comfortable win in Rutherglen and Hamilton West would suggest the party could compete for as many as 24 seats in Scotland at a general election.
Sir Keir said: ‘For the Labour Party it matters that we win in Scotland to have the mandate – to have the authority – to take the whole of the UK forward.
‘I don’t want to win a general election without winning more significantly in Scotland.’
The by-election is also a first major electoral test for SNP leader Humza Yousaf, who took over as First Minister from Nicola Sturgeon earlier this year.
He admitted Labour presented a ‘challenge’ but accused Sir Keir’s party of being ‘complacent’.
Mr Yousaf also pointed to how the SNP are still the most popular party in Scotland.
‘Labour are popping the Champagne corks – putting up the bunting, they are complacent,’ he said.
‘We’ve been in government for 16 years. Of course there’s challenges.
‘But 16 years in, with probably the most difficult six months my party has faced, we’re still leading in the (national) polls.’
SNP candidate Katy Loudon is up against Labour’s Michael Shanks and Tory hopeful Thomas Kerr in today’s by-election.
Cameron Eadie and Gloria Adebo are running for the Greens and Scottish Liberal Democrats, respectively.
Polling stations opened at 7am and close at 10pm.
At the 2019 general election, the SNP won 48 out of 59 seats, while Labour claimed a solitary victory in Edinburgh South.
The result matched Labour’s dismal showing at the 2015 general election, when they also suffered a near wipeout and won only one seat.
It marked a rapid decline from the 2010 general election, when Labour won 41 out of 59 seats in Scotland as they continued a trend of holding a majority of seats in the country at every general election since the 1960s.
Ms Ferrier became SNP MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West in 2015 when she beat the Labour incumbent in the seat.
She narrowly lost the seat to Labour at the 2017 general election, but then took it back two years later in 2019.
The 62-year-old was kicked out of the SNP after she was revealed to have broken Covid rules.
Earlier this year, the Commons’ Committee on Standards recommended Ms Ferrier be suspended from Parliament for 30 days for damaging the reputation of the House.
The length of the suspension led to a recall petition, which was signed by nearly 15 per cent of local voters.
This passed the 10 per cent threshold for removing Ms Ferrier from the Commons and triggering the by-election contest.
Source: Read Full Article
