Stephen Flynn jokingly urges Keir Starmer to campaign in Hamilton by-election

THE SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has jokingly urged the Prime Minister to campaign in an upcoming Holyrood by-election.

The call comes after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar suggested Keir Starmer is unlikely to visit the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency ahead of polling day on June 5.

The by-election was sparked by the death of Scottish minister Christina McKelvie from secondary breast cancer in March.

Speaking to journalists at the STUC congress in Dundee on Tuesday, Sarwar said: “I’m not expecting Keir to campaign in the by-election”, adding that the campaign would be “in Scotland for Scotland”.

He added: “I don’t think he’s campaigning in the by-election, for example, that’s happening in Runcorn.”

But in a letter to the Prime Minister on Wednesday, Stephen Flynn jokingly extended an invitation for him to visit the seat.

“It is normal that, as part of these democratic campaigns, voters rightly expect to hear from and have contact with party leaders and in that spirit my own party leader, the First Minister of Scotland John Swinney, has been on the campaign trail several times already,” he said.

(Image: PA)

“It therefore came as significant news that the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, on Tuesday announced that you – as his party leader – would not be coming to campaign in this by-election.

“I am sorry to break the news that in announcing this, he didn’t exactly sound enthusiastic about the prospect of you joining him on the campaign trail in the first place.

“It is remarkable and very telling that less than a year since your success in the general election after promising ‘change’, your Labour colleagues now shudder at the thought of welcoming their own Prime Minister to campaign on the streets of Scotland.

“However, in the awkward absence of a welcoming invitation from Scottish Labour and Anas Sarwar, I’d like to step in on behalf of the SNP and do the decent thing by personally inviting you to come to Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse before the election on June 5.”

Scottish Labour has been contacted for comment.