People will need to “change the script” on Scottish Labour after the party’s surprise win in Hamilton, the party’s leader has said.
Davy Russell took the seat vacated by the death of Scottish Government minister and SNP MSP Christina McKelvie.
The deputy lord lieutenant of Lanarkshire, who has never held elected office, beat out SNP candidate Katy Loudon, who fell to her third defeat since 2023.
The win comes against the backdrop of national polls which place Scottish Labour in third place behind the SNP and Reform UK and will undoubtedly give a boost to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar’s bid to become First Minister in next year’s election.
While the party had been believed to be among the frontrunners alongside the SNP, the Nigel Farage-led Reform UK saw a surge which took them into third place, just 800 votes away from the SNP.
When the votes were counted, Mr Russell polled 8,559, with Ms Loudon coming second on 7,957, ahead of Reform’s Ross Lambie, who secured 7,088 votes.
Speaking to the PA news agency after the declaration, Mr Sarwar said: “I think people need to change the script, because we’ve proven the pollsters wrong.
“We’ve proven the commentators wrong, we’ve proven the bookies wrong.
“We’ve proven John Swinney wrong and so many others wrong too.”
In the final weeks of the campaign, the First Minister said it was a “two-horse race” between the SNP and Reform, but Mr Sarwar asked what it says about a Government that has been in power for 18 years and “all it has to offer in a campaign is vote SNP to stop Farage”.
Mr Russell had faced criticism for his perceived lack of media appearances, but Mr Sarwar said such arguments were borne of “an element of classism and elitism”.
Speaking from the stage after his win, Mr Russell said: “Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse has voted tonight to take a new direction with Scottish Labour.
“Like the people here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, and right across Scotland, we all feel we have been let down by the SNP.”
The newly-minted MSP also hit out at Reform, saying the win “sent a message to Farage and his mob tonight – the poison of Reform isn’t us, it isn’t Scotland and we don’t want your division here”.
A massive congratulations to our newest MSP, Davy Russell!
— Scottish Labour (@ScottishLabour) June 6, 2025
The road to a new direction for Scotland in 2026 with Anas Sarwar as First Minister begins here. pic.twitter.com/fay0Ai2q4U
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice told PA he was “thrilled to bits” with the result.
“It’s a fantastic result, just a few hundred votes away from the SNP, nobody predicted that that,” he said.
“I think that sets us up with excitement and momentum for the next 11 months into the Holyrood elections.”
Asked what his party needs to do to carry forward that momentum, Mr Tice said Reform UK will spend time “working that out”.
While First Minister John Swinney said Ms Loudon had “fought a superb SNP campaign” and that he was “clearly disappointed” they were unable to win.
“Labour won by an absolute landslide in this area less than a year ago – we came much closer tonight, but the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have made clear that we still have work to do,” he added.
“Over the next few days, we will take time to consider the result fully.”
