Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

Scots have ‘voted for change’, says Starmer following Labour’s surprise Hamilton win

06 Jun 2025 4 minute read
Scottish Labour Party’s Davy Russell (centre, right) celebrates with leader Anas Sarwar (centre) and deputy leader Jackie Baillie (left, centre) after being declared winner for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Sir Keir Starmer has said people in Scotland have “voted for change” following Labour’s shock win in the Hamilton by-election.

The Prime Minister congratulated his winning candidate Davy Russell and looked ahead to next year’s Scottish Parliament election, saying it is a chance to “turbo charge delivery”.

Mr Russell took the seat vacated by the death of Scottish Government minister and SNP MSP Christina McKelvie.

Posting on social media on Friday morning, Sir Keir said: “People in Scotland have once again voted for change.

“Next year there is a chance to turbo charge delivery by putting Labour in power on both sides of the border.

“I look forward to working with you.”

Labour’s candidate, who is the deputy lord lieutenant of Lanarkshire, beat out SNP candidate Katy Loudon – who fell to her third defeat since 2023.

National polls

The win comes against the backdrop of national polls which place Scottish Labour in third place behind the SNP and Reform UK – and will undoubtedly give a boost to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar’s bid to become first minister in next year’s election.

The Nigel Farage-led Reform UK saw a surge which took them into third place, just 800 votes away from the SNP, but fell short of expectations that they may place second.

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice also reacted to the results, saying his party is “delighted”.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “It’s truly remarkable.

“We’ve come from nowhere to being in a three-way marginal, and we’re within 750 votes of winning that by-election and just a few hundred votes of defeating the SNP, so it’s an incredible result.”

Election count

At the election count earlier, Mr Tice told the PA news agency he was “thrilled to bits” with the result.

When the votes were counted, Mr Russell polled 8,559, with Ms Loudon coming second on 7,957, ahead of Reform’s Ross Lambie, who secured 7,088 votes.

Speaking to PA after the declaration, Mr Sarwar said: “I think people need to change the script, because we’ve proven the pollsters wrong.

“We’ve proven the commentators wrong, we’ve proven the bookies wrong.

“We’ve proven John Swinney wrong and so many others wrong too.”

In the final weeks of the campaign, the First Minister said it was a “two-horse race” between the SNP and Reform, but Mr Sarwar asked what it says about a Government that has been in power for 18 years and “all it has to offer in a campaign is vote SNP to stop Farage”.

Mr Russell had faced criticism for his perceived lack of media appearances, but Mr Sarwar said such arguments were borne of “an element of classism and elitism”.

Speaking from the stage after his win, Mr Russell said: “Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse has voted tonight to take a new direction with Scottish Labour.

“Like the people here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, and right across Scotland, we all feel we have been let down by the SNP.”

Reform

The newly-minted MSP also hit out at Reform, saying the win “sent a message to Farage and his mob tonight – the poison of Reform isn’t us, it isn’t Scotland and we don’t want your division here”.

While First Minister Mr Swinney said Ms Loudon had “fought a superb SNP campaign” and that he was “clearly disappointed” they were unable to win.

“Labour won by an absolute landslide in this area less than a year ago – we came much closer tonight, but the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have made clear that we still have work to do,” he added.

“Over the next few days, we will take time to consider the result fully.”


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

7 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Johnny
Johnny
8 days ago

John Swinney is a Yesterday Man.
Kate Forbes would have been a much better choice as leader of The SNP

Nigel Burford's alter ego
Nigel Burford's alter ego
8 days ago

The one thing more useless than Welsh Labour is Scottish Labour. Well done Hamilton, you’ll have absolutely nothing done from this day onwards.

Jeff
Jeff
8 days ago

Kept the extremists out.

Nigel Burford's alter ego
Nigel Burford's alter ego
8 days ago
Reply to  Jeff

Just about, but put a no-good party in charge. First the worst, second the best.

Last edited 8 days ago by Nigel Burford's alter ego
Jeff
Jeff
7 days ago

Kept the extremists out.

David
David
7 days ago

The reason SNP now loose seats is because of their stance on gender-id. (take note Plaid Cymru!)

Drew Anderson
Drew Anderson
7 days ago
Reply to  David

If you are referring to the Gender Recognition Bill, that got spiked by Alister Jack (then Tory SoS for Scotland) it was first proposed by a Labour MSP and passed with a supermajority. There was universal support from the Scottish Greens and LibDems; little dissention from Labour; significant dissention from the SNP members. Even 3 Tories voted for, but they were the only party who gave minority support.

Your oversimplistic analysis is based on poor information.

Its “lose” by the way.

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.