Labor has clearly won a crucial by-election for the British Parliament in a Scottish constituency. The Social Democrats’ victory over the Scottish National Party (SNP) is not only a blow to the independence movement, but a further sign that Labor is on course to replace a Conservative government in London at the next election. Labor leader Keir Starmer spoke of a “seismic moment”.
The by-election was necessitated after a former SNP MP lost his seat in the Glasgow district of Rutherglen and Hamilton West on Thursday due to misconduct.
Labor candidate Michael Shanks beat SNP candidate Katie Loudon by almost 10,000 votes, it was clear after votes were counted on Friday night.
It gave Labor a second Scottish MP in Westminster, a significant swing in voter support that experts say could end the dominance of pro-independence supporters in Scotland.
If recent success proves to be a trend, Labor is more likely to win its own majority at Westminster, as John Curtis, an election expert at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, told the BBC. A general election is expected in the United Kingdom next year. So far, Labor is leading the polls over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s ruling Conservative Party.
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