Scottish Labour secured a narrow victory in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Holyrood by-election, taking the seat from the SNP. This win is a significant boost for the party and its leader Anas Sarwar, despite their recent slip in polls and defensive stance on UK Labour policies. The result was tighter than previous Westminster elections in the area, with Labour winning by about 600 votes. Reform UK finished a strong third, indicating a potential three-horse race in future Scottish elections, while the Scottish Conservatives saw a significant drop in their vote share.
Labour confounds expectations with Hamilton by-election victory
Hamilton, Larkhall and StonehouseScotlandScottish GreensScottish LabourScottish ConservativesScottish Liberal DemocratsScottish ParliamentReform UKSNP (Scottish National Party)
AI Summary
TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Scottish Labour secured a narrow victory in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Holyrood by-election, taking the seat from the SNP. This win is a significant boost for the party and its leader Anas Sarwar, despite their recent slip in polls and defensive stance on UK Labour policies. The result was tighter than previous Westminster elections in the area, with Labour winning by about 600 votes. Reform UK finished a strong third, indicating a potential three-horse race in future Scottish elections, while the Scottish Conservatives saw a significant drop in their vote share.
Trending- 1 2021: Scottish Conservatives took third place in this seat with 18% of the vote.
- 2 Less than two years ago: Labour won a Westminster by-election in this area with a 9,500 majority.
- 3 2024 General Election: Labour won the corresponding House of Commons seat by a similar margin.
- 4 Last night (June 5, 2025): Scottish Labour won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election by ~600 votes.
- 5 Next year (2026): Holyrood election.
- Boost for Scottish Labour, Davy Russell becomes an MSP.
- Reform UK emerges as a significant competitor in Scotland.
- Scottish Conservatives face potential disaster in 2026 Holyrood election.
- Future Scottish elections may be less predictable.
What: Scottish Labour won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election for the Holyrood seat.
When: Last night (June 5, 2025).
Where: Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency, Scotland.
Why: To gain a seat in the Scottish Parliament, boost party morale, and demonstrate local popularity despite broader poll slips.
How: Through a by-election, with significant ground campaigning by Labour.