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| Labour wins Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election | Labour wins Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Watch: Davy Russell elected MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse | |
| Scottish Labour has won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. | Scottish Labour has won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. |
| The vote was called following the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie, who had represented the constituency since 2011. | The vote was called following the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie, who had represented the constituency since 2011. |
| Labour's Davy Russell won with 8,559 votes, ahead of the SNP on 7,957. | |
| Reform UK came third with 7,088 votes, followed by the Conservatives on 1,621. | |
| The result means Scottish Labour has overturned a majority of 4,582 won by McKelvie in 2021. | |
| She died aged 57 in March after being diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. | |
| The by-election result provides a boost to Scottish Labour following a difficult few months. | |
| The party swept aside the SNP in last summer's general election. | |
| But since Sir Keir Starmer took office it has seen support drop in the polls. Some have even suggested Reform could beat Labour to second place in next year's Holyrood elections. | |
| Speaking at the count, Russell said he was "proud" to be elected as the constituency's new MSP. | |
| Labour's Davy Russell has won the seat from the SNP | |
| He said constituents had been "let down" by the SNP, adding that the result sent a message to Reform leader Nigel Farage that his party's "poison" was not welcome in Scotland. | |
| Ahead of the vote, First Minister John Swinney had claimed that the by-election was a "two-horse race" between his party - the SNP - and Reform. | |
| Russell, who was raised and still lives in the village of Quarter in the constituency, has worked for local government and previously served as deputy lord lieutenant, representing the monarch at local events. | |
| His victory comes despite criticism during the campaign for a lack of media appearances – most notably when he decided not to participate in a televised STV debate. | |
| 'Proven pollsters wrong' | |
| Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar told BBC Scotland News his party had "proven the pollsters wrong, the political commentators wrong and the bookies wrong". | |
| He said the result showed voters were "scunnered" with the SNP and that Reform were "not at the races". | |
| Scottish Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson said the SNP would need to "look very closely" at result and "learn the lessons" for the Holyrood elections. | |
| Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said the "remarkable" result was a "massive boost" for his party going into the 2026 vote. | |
| He also rejected claims the party has created a poisonous atmosphere in Scottish politics, claiming parties were "terrified" of Reform. | |
| Scottish Conservative finance spokesperson Craig Hoy said it was a "disappointing" night for his party. | |
| He said the Tories were determined to "restore trust with the Scottish people". |