The by-election that could put Keir Starmer on the path to No10: Labour leader admits Rutherglen contest is a must-win as allies claim they can take 24 seats in Scotland to get into power
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has acknowledged that next week’s Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election is a must-win contest for his party.
The by-election, triggered by a recall petition against Covid rule-breaking MP Margaret Ferrier, has become a fierce battle between the SNP and Labour.
There will be close scrutiny over Labour’s performance when voters head to the polls on 5 October, as it will be a key test of the party’s hopes of reviving their fortunes in Scotland.
Labour currently only has one Scottish MP but party figures are hopeful of winning a slew of seats north of the border at the general election.
Regaining ground in Scotland is a key challenge for Sir Keir as he looks to become PM and he told the BBC he wants to win a significant number of seats in the country to ensure he has a ‘mandate’.
Asked if the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election was a must-win for Labour, he said: ‘It is very important for us. There is no getting away from that.’
One source close to Labour’s by-election campaign told the BBC a comfortable win in Rutherglen and Hamilton West would suggest the party could compete for as many as 24 seats in Scotland at a general election.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has acknowledged that next week’s Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election is a must-win contest for his party
Labour’s by-election candidate Michael Shanks is pictured with the party’s Scottish leader Ansa Sarwar
SNP leader Humza Yousaf, pictured with his party’s by-election candidate Katy Loudon and Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, admitted Labour presented a ‘challenge’
Sir Keir said: ‘For the Labour Party it matters that we win in Scotland to have the mandate – to have the authority – to take the whole of the UK forward.
‘I don’t want to win a general election without winning more significantly in Scotland.’
The by-election is also a first major electoral test for SNP leader Humza Yousaf, who took over as First Minister from Nicola Sturgeon earlier this year.
He admitted Labour presented a ‘challenge’ but accused Sir Keir’s party of being ‘complacent’.
Mr Yousaf also pointed to how the SNP are still the most popular party in Scotland.
‘Labour are popping the Champagne corks – putting up the bunting, they are complacent,’ he said.
‘We’ve been in government for 16 years. Of course there’s challenges.
‘But 16 years in, with probably the most difficult six months my party has faced, we’re still leading in the (national) polls.’
At the 2019 general election, the SNP won 48 out of 59 seats, while Labour claimed a solitary victory in Edinburgh South.
The result matched Labour’s dismal showing at the 2015 general election, when they also suffered a near wipeout and won only one seat.
It marked a rapid decline from the 2010 general election, when Labour won 41 out of 59 seats in Scotland as they continued a trend of holding a majority of seats in the country at every general election since the 1960s.
Margaret Ferrier was kicked out of the SNP after she was revealed to have broken Covid rules. She then lost her House of Commons seat through a recall petition among local voters
Ms Ferrier became SNP MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West in 2015 when she beat the Labour incumbent in the seat.
She narrowly lost the seat to Labour at the 2017 general election, but then took it back two years later in 2019.
The 62-year-old was kicked out of the SNP after she was revealed to have broken Covid rules.
Earlier this year, the Commons’ Committee on Standards recommended Ms Ferrier be suspended from Parliament for 30 days for damaging the reputation of the House.
The length of the suspension led to a recall petition, which was signed by nearly 15 per cent of local voters.
This passed the 10 per cent threshold for removing Ms Ferrier from the Commons and triggering the by-election contest.
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