Overview

• Davy Russell secured the Hamilton seat for Scottish Labour with 8,559 votes, edging out the SNP’s Katy Loudon (7,957) and Reform UK’s Ross Lambie (7,088).
• The by-election was triggered by the death of Christina McKelvie, the long-serving SNP MSP who held the seat since 2011.
• First Minister John Swinney described the narrow margin as ‘frustratingly close’ and said it reflected ‘modest progress’ since the party’s collapse in last year’s general election.
• Reform UK’s strong third-place finish followed the party’s earlier local election breakthroughs, underscoring its rising influence in Scottish politics.
• Despite capturing the seat, Labour’s share of the vote fell by around 20 percentage points from last year, highlighting challenges in consolidating its revival.