Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the people of Hamilton have taken the first steps to elect a Scottish Labour Government and remove the SNP from office next year.
Celebrating his candidate’s shock election at the Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse election overnight, Sarwar also slammed John Swinney’s “disgraceful and shameful” by-election campaign.
“The people of Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse have led the way to the election of a Scottish Labour Government next year and the removal of the SNP from office,” Sarwar said.
Scottish Labour stunned the SNP to win the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election by just 602 votes early Friday morning.
Davy Russell’s victory came despite the First Minister declaring the contest to be a two-horse race between the SNP and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
STV NewsThe pollsters and bookies also backed the SNP, and bet that Reform could finish second ahead of Labour.
However, when the votes were counted, Russell polled 8,559, with the SNP’s Katy Loudon coming second on 7,957, ahead of Reform’s Ross Lambie, who secured 7,088 votes.
Russell, who has been confident in his chances from the start, celebrated his win on Friday and allowed himself to say “I told you so”.
“It wasn’t about listening to the normal rhetoric of politicians; it was about listening to the people. I did that, and I’m so proud the people of Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse have put their faith in me, and I’ll represent them to the best of my ability,” Russell said.
On Friday, the Scottish Labour leader took the opportunity to slam the SNP for both their “record of failure” and their “shameful” by-election campaign.
“It was right to call out the lies and dirt on Nigel Farage and Reform, but what John Swinney did was also unacceptable,” Sarwar said.
“He tried a campaign of misinformation. He didn’t run a campaign on a positive record or on the issues facing the people of Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse.”
Sarwar accused Swinney of using Reform UK as a bogeyman to gain votes because they were “devoid of ideas and energy” after 18 years in power.
“That is not going to work next year,” Sarwar said.
“Next year will be a two-horse race. That election is going to result in one of two outcome – it’s either going to mean a third decade of the SNP with John Swinney as First Minister, or a new direct for Scotland with a Scottish Labour government with me as First Minister.
“That is the stark choice facing the country.”
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