Philip Stott, Socialist Party Scotland
Labour won the Scottish Parliament seat of Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse from the Scottish National Party (SNP) in a by-election on 5 June. Its majority over the SNP was 600. Reform UK came third, a further 900 votes behind. The by-election was called after the death of the sitting SNP MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament).
This was no endorsement of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, far less prime minister Keir Starmer. In truth, Labour did even worse than the last time this seat was fought in the 2021 Scottish parliament election.
Labour’s share of the vote was down just over 2% in the Hamilton constituency. In the Scottish Parliament election that year, Labour ended up in third place behind the Tories. Compared to the share of the vote in the Westminster election last year in that area, Labour’s support fell from 50% to 31.6%.
Vanished is the “mile wide but inch deep” support from the July 2024 Westminster general election, in which Scottish Labour won 37 of the 57 Scottish MPs. It evaporated in the glare of Labour’s onslaught on the poor and attacks on public services since Starmer became prime minister.
That Labour managed to defeat the SNP in Hamilton says much more about the brutal reality of SNP rule at Holyrood over the past 18 years. Cuts, worsening queues for NHS treatment, and a failure to stand up to the Tories, and now Starmer, saw the SNP lose 17% in vote share compared to 2021.
There is no SNP recovery, despite the hatred towards Starmer, who did not visit the constituency once during the campaign. Many of the minority who did vote took the opportunity to pass a verdict on almost two decades of SNP rule.
There is a massive political vacuum in working-class areas of Scotland, and a disgust towards the capitalist political establishment. This was primarily reflected in the 56% who did not vote. Of those that did, just over 7,000 voted for the Reform UK candidate, who polled 26%, just 1,500 votes behind the winning Labour candidate.
Reform makes gains
This was Reform’s best result in a Scottish election, and on a par with the recent 26% it won in a council by-election in Clydebank in May. Although it’s worth bearing in mind that Reform only won the support of 11% of those entitled to vote.
Rising support for Reform and its right populism poses a real danger for the workers’ movement. They at times echo working-class concerns, for example on winter fuel payments and the two-child benefit cap.
But Reform’s vote is a desperate attempt by sections of the working class to find a political vehicle for their interests. And the best way to ensure the defeat of Reform is to build an authoritative left alternative in the shape of a mass workers’ party.
The trade union movement in particular must turn to that task. The Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) did not stand a candidate in this by-election in order to avoid a clash with the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) who did stand. The SSP received a modest 1% vote, coming seventh out of 11 candidates.
Working-class alternative essential
What is crystal clear following the by-election is that the need for a working-class, socialist, and trade union electoral alternative is even more urgent. Socialist Party Scotland, Scottish TUSC, and others, including trade union branches, Collective Scotland, etc, have called a conference on 4 October in Glasgow to help prepare that challenge.
We’d urge all those who want to see such an alternative to get in touch and help built it.
Holyrood 2026 – For a working-class, trade union, and socialist alternative
Saturday 4 October, 1pm, Renfield Centre, Bath Street, Glasgow
