Labour’s Rutherglen victory is just Starmer’s first step to power

The question wasn’t about whether Labour would win the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, but by how much. A good win would involve a swing in the double digits, Sir John Curtice confirmed yesterday evening, while a moderate win would suggest that Keir Starmer’s party would have its work cut out in fighting for a majority in the next general election.

The true result of the by-election however, announced in the early hours of this morning, was nothing like Labour had predicted. ‘Seismic,’ veteran Labour MSP Jackie Baillie mouthed as the numbers came through: ‘Stonking.’ With 17,845 votes to the SNP’s 8,399 and 1,192 for the Scottish Tories, Scottish Labour came away with a majority just short of 10,000 – and over 50 per cent of the vote.

Though it has been a long time coming (it’s been three years since former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier was found to have broken Covid rules), the official launches for candidate campaigns only took place during the summer.