London: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party achieved a surprise victory in a fiercely contested by-election for the Scottish Parliament.
The party won the Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse seats from the Scottish National Party following the death of a former government minister. The hard-fought contest, marked by one of the most bitter campaigns in recent Scottish political history, saw race emerge as a central and contentious issue.
Labour’s candidate Davy Russell secured 8,559 votes, narrowly defeating the SNP’s 7,957 votes. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, finished third with 7,088 votes, defying expectations and polling predictions that had favored the SNP.
The result offers a welcome boost to Starmer’s Labour, which has experienced a significant decline in public support since its landslide victory in last year’s British general election. The election was followed by unpopular tax hikes, welfare cuts, and controversy over party donations.
A massive congratulations to our newest MSP, Davy Russell!
The road to a new direction for Scotland in 2026 with Anas Sarwar as First Minister begins here. pic.twitter.com/fay0Ai2q4U
— Scottish Labour (@ScottishLabour) June 6, 2025
The campaign became intensely polarized after Reform UK repeatedly highlighted the ethnicity of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who is of Pakistani descent. Farage’s party circulated a widely criticized online video falsely claiming Sarwar intended to prioritize the Pakistani community, sparking accusations of racism.
Labor condemned the advert as ‘blatantly racist,’ while SNP Deputy First Minister John Swinney called on voters to reject what he described as Reform’s ‘gutter politics.’ Farage in turn accused Sarwar of injecting sectarianism into Scottish politics.
Addressing supporters after the victory, Davy Russell declared that the result sent a clear message to Farage and his supporters. “The poison of Reform isn’t us, it isn’t Scotland and we don’t want your division here,” he said.
Despite the defeat, Reform UK’s strong showing signals growing traction in Scotland, mirroring their recent rise in England ahead of next year’s Scottish Parliament elections.
The party’s brand of low-tax, anti-immigration, and anti-EU politics has traditionally been associated more with English nationalism, making its surge in Scotland notable.
