JOHN Swinney has warned Nigel Farage “doesn’t care about Scotland” as the Hamilton by-election campaign enters its final days.
Voters in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse will go to the polls on Thursday June 5 to elect Holyrood’s newest MSP, after the sad passing of SNP minister Christina McKelvie earlier this year.
The looming vote saw the streets of the constituency flooded with activists from various political parties over the weekend, and with Farage himself expected to visit Hamilton in the days before the polls open.
The battle for the constituency was initially thought to be a tight race between the SNP and Labour, but fears are growing that Reform UK may overtake Labour and come second.
The SNP insisted their priorities were “miles apart” from those of Farage’s party, while Labour attacked the SNP’s record.
Swinney said: “On the final week of campaigning in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, it’s clear which party is on Scotland’s side.
“Free prescriptions, free tuition and free bus travel for 2.3 million people across Scotland - just a few SNP policies that are supporting families across Scotland and delivering for the next generation.”
The First Minister added: “Things remain tough for too many families who feel let down by Labour - who have given up in this campaign - and the deeply concerning rise in support for Farage.
“In this by-election, the SNP is the only party investing in Scotland’s future, delivering for families and confronting Farage. On Thursday, vote SNP to stop Farage.”
The SNP’s candidate Katy Loudon added: “They [voters] have been let down by a Labour Party that has lost its way and are now witnessing the worrying rise of Farage, who does not understand or care about them.
“This Thursday, voters across this constituency have the opportunity to reject Reform UK’s rhetoric and vote SNP, for an MSP that will always put them first.”
Meanwhile, Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie urged voters to “chart a new direction for the whole of Scotland”.
It comes after the party's candidate Davy Russell refused to take part in various debates and hustings.
“After almost two decades in charge, the SNP has left public services at breaking point – almost one in six Scots are on an NHS waiting list, violence is rife in our schools, and high streets across Scotland are struggling,” she said.
“We cannot risk a third decade of SNP government and only Scottish Labour can beat them.
“Ignore the desperate spin of Reform and the SNP – this by-election is a direct fight between Scottish Labour and the SNP."
It comes after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar branded Farage a “poisonous man” amid a row over a “racist” advert.
Reform UK’s candidate Ross Lambie posted a photograph of himself out chapping doors on Sunday. He wrote in an earlier post: “You can see clearly here that our message is reaching all voters, including former SNP voters who are #scunnered with 18 years of failure.
Collette Bradley, the Scottish Socialist Party’s candidate, hit out at Labour for “opening the door” to Farage’s party by “betraying the working class”.
“We don’t want to exaggerate and reinforce Reform’s own unsubstantiated claims of being on the verge of winning, but a frightening minority have been conned into thinking Reform UK is an alternative to Labour’s betrayal,” she said.
“In fact, Farage and his far-right outfit are a bunch of former Tories, part of the Establishment, who want to bring back Thatcherism and its vicious, anti-working-class measures, to an area devastated by the original Maggie Thatcher’s class war on mining communities and other workers.
“The Scottish Socialist Party have warned people that we should tax the millionaires - not vote for them!”
The Scottish Tories candidate Richard Nelson, who claimed the Orange Order is “not divisive”, posted on his Facebook page that the party were having “one last push” on Saturday evening.
He was photographed with former deputy leader Meghan Gallagher MSP and former leader Jackson Carlaw, as well as a small group of other party activists.
