John Swinney makes final Hamilton by-election pitch as polls open

JOHN Swinney has urged voters in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election to reject the “gutter politics” of Reform UK as polls open.

The vote sparked by the death of Scottish Government minister Christina McKelvie in March will take place on Thursday, and is widely considered to be a three-horse race between the SNP, Labour and Reform UK. 

One of the major talking points of the campaign has been the criticism levelled at Reform UK after an attack advert published by the party claimed Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar prioritises people from Pakistan over those in Scotland.

The ad, which has now been seen around one million times on Facebook, includes selected clips from a video spread by far and alt-right agitators on social media in a bid to claim that Europe was under threat from “multiculturalism” and mass immigration, specifically of Muslims. It has been condemned as “racist” by both the SNP and Scottish Labour.

(Image: PA) Speaking ahead of polls opening at 7am on Thursday, Swinney (above) again claimed the contest is between the SNP and Reform UK, saying: “Today, people in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse can reject the politics of Nigel Farage and elect a local champion by voting SNP.

“Farage doesn’t care about Scotland – he wants to cut our budget, undermine our Parliament and introduce charges for the NHS.

“Labour have given up on the campaign and have barely even bothered to defend their record of scrapping the Winter Fuel Payment and cutting support for disabled people.

“So this by-election is a two-horse race between the SNP and Farage. And today, people in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse can unite behind the SNP and defeat the gutter politics of Nigel Farage by voting for Katy Loudon.”

Anas Sarwar pictured with Scottish Labour candidate Davy Russell (Image: PA) Meanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Sarwar (above) said the choice facing voters is “more failure with the SNP or a local champion” with Scottish Labour’s Davy Russell, accusing the nationalists of talking up Reform to “distract from their own failures”.

He added: “Time and time again, the SNP has failed Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.

“From our overstretched NHS to our declining education system to our crisis-hit housing system, almost all of what is broken in Scotland is run by the SNP.

“They don’t deserve to win, but only Scottish Labour can beat them.

“The SNP wants to talk up Reform to distract from their own failures, but Scots will see through the spin.

“This is a chance to put this failing Government on notice and chart a new direction for all of Scotland – let’s seize that opportunity.”