Scottish Labour demands apology from SNP by-election candidate

Labour has launched a Holyrood by-election campaign with a demand for an apology from the SNP.

The party has accused the SNP’s candidate for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse seat of having voted against funding for the area.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie insisted that Katy Loudon, who is contesting the seat for the SNP, should “start her campaign with an apology”.

The vote is taking place after the death in March of Scottish Government minister Christina McKelvie, who held the seat in the 2021 Holyrood election with a majority of 4,582.

Labour will be hoping to repeat its success in the nearby Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in 2023, where it defeated the SNP in a Westminster by-election, with Ms Loudon the unsuccessful candidate then.

Labour has accused South Lanarkshire councillor Ms Loudon of having voted against £8 million of funding for Hamilton town centre.

Ms Baillie said: “Katy Loudon is asking voters to trust her with a place in the Scottish Parliament — but when she had the chance to stand up for Hamilton, she voted against it.

“She had the opportunity to back £8 million of investment in the town centre and chose not to.

“That decision speaks volumes.

“Before she asks for a single vote, Katy Loudon should apologise to the people of Hamilton for voting against their future.”

Davy Russell, the Labour candidate for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, said: “I’m not a career politician. I’ve never stood for election before, but like so many of you, I’ve had enough of being let down.

“After 18 years of SNP government, our public services are on their knees – the NHS is in crisis, housing prices keep rising and our town centres are struggling.

“This by-election is a chance for change — a chance to say enough is enough. I’ll always put Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse first, and I’ll work every single day to deliver the investment, services and leadership our communities deserve.”

Ms Loudon responded: “The Labour administration at South Lanarkshire Council has been in power for three years and the people of Hamilton have seen absolutely no progress. ”

She added: “The SNP has consistently supported a town centre masterplan but for Labour to pluck this figure out of thin air, with no detail about if or how it will be spent, is a disappointing attempt to use an important local issue as a political football.

“Labour’s record on school bus cuts and garden waste charges speaks for itself, and the people of Hamilton will see right through their empty rhetoric.”

She also accused her Labour rival of being silent over controversial decisions by the UK Government, including ending the universal winter fuel payment and cutting back on disability payments.

Ms Loudon said: “Anas Sarwar’s silence over the Labour Party’s broken promises proves that neither he, nor his party, can be trusted to do right by the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.

“In government, Labour has maintained the awful two child cap, taken away vital payments from pensioners and overseen soaring household bills – all within a matter of months.

“Astonishingly, Labour MSPs are in lockstep with their London bosses, with most of their MSPs backing the £5 billion of Labour cuts to disability support.”

She added: “The people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse deserve better than a Labour candidate who will look the other way, like Anas Sarwar.”