Airdrie and Shotts

[greenhert]

This could have been interesting due to the effect of "unionist" tactical voting-but just as in the Scottish Parliament elections last week it came to nothing. This will however go down in history as the first time the SNP has had to defend a parliamentary seat in a by-election.

[Clark]

Like many current SNP members, she was previously in the Labour Party

[islington]

SNP 10129
Lab 8372
Con 2812
LD 220
SDP 151
Unionist 59
Ref 45
UKIP 39

SNP maj 1757

Edited to add: Sorry, on checking back I find the numbers have already been supplied upthread.

[The Bishop]

SNP can be happy to have held, Labour to have increased their vote share. And the LibDems for narrowly beating the SDP

[justin124]

A mildly encouraging result for Labour which implies that the seat is a realistic target at the next GE.

[afleitch]

Solid result for the SNP given the turnout.

Worth noting that the majority here in 2017 was just 0.5%.

Labour have rebounded to 2015/2017 levels and the Tory vote is back down closer to more historic levels with Labour voters returning home.

[CatholicLeft]

May 14, 2021 6:49:44 GMT Merseymike said:

Yet another result which indicates that voting is based on one issue, and one side of that issue has a largely united voting force, as opposed to the other.

Well of course, nevertheless, Labour managed to pick a well-liked and capable local candidate, ran a decent campaign and managed a swing to them.

[pragmaticidealist]

May 14, 2021 7:55:48 GMT No Offence Alan said:

May 14, 2021 3:18:38 GMT Andrew_S said:

The new MP was born on 11th September 1992 according to the article below which probably puts her in the top 10 youngest MPs, if not the top 5.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/msp-candidate-opens-up-lifelong-22788156

"Hey, I'm 9 today! Why are you grown ups all watching TV at my birthday party?"

I wonder how the Ingrams (of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire infamy) felt on that day. They had done their deed in the immediate couple of days prior to 11/9/2001.

[edgbaston]

May 14, 2021 10:59:08 GMT CatholicLeft said:

May 14, 2021 6:49:44 GMT Merseymike said:

Yet another result which indicates that voting is based on one issue, and one side of that issue has a largely united voting force, as opposed to the other.

Well of course, nevertheless, Labour managed to pick a well-liked and capable local candidate, ran a decent campaign and managed a swing to them.

Makes you wonder - with more resources we might have won it

[peterl]

Rather suprised to see Labour do so well. Also suprised at how quick the count was done, I'd only just gone to bed. Still, close is no win and this will do little to lift the black cloud surrounding Starmer after last week. All eyes on Batley and Spen.

[The Bishop]

May 14, 2021 11:15:46 GMT edgbaston said:

May 14, 2021 10:59:08 GMT CatholicLeft said:

Well of course, nevertheless, Labour managed to pick a well-liked and capable local candidate, ran a decent campaign and managed a swing to them.

Makes you wonder - with more resources we might have won it

Not to mention a better climate for Labour generally, who knows even Starmer not filling his pants last weekend might have made a bit of a difference.

[Merseymike]

May 14, 2021 11:21:05 GMT The Bishop said:

May 14, 2021 11:15:46 GMT edgbaston said:

Makes you wonder - with more resources we might have won it

Not to mention a better climate for Labour generally, who knows even Starmer not filling his pants last weekend might have made a bit of a difference.

It's certainly the case that Labour did relatively well but the SNP support isn't really shifting at all

[pragmaticidealist]

SNP share holding steady, second placed unionist party perhaps getting some tactical support but not enough to overturn the seat. In other words, a similar pattern to the Holyrood elections.

[johnloony]

UKIP got 39 votes in Uxbridge in 1997.

[timrollpickering]

Am I the only one who totally forgot this was happening?

Why wasn't it held last week?

[peterl]

May 14, 2021 14:14:46 GMT timrollpickering said:

Am I the only one who totally forgot this was happening?

Why wasn't it held last week?

Since the 2007 debacle in the Holyrood/local elections, there has been a perception in Scotland that voters are confused by having to vote on multiple things on the same day, especially if different election systems are being used.

[CatholicLeft]

May 14, 2021 14:14:46 GMT timrollpickering said:

Am I the only one who totally forgot this was happening?

Why wasn't it held last week?

Because, due to an embarrassing mistake by the SNP, they mixed up calling it, at the same time as their Westminster leader lauding how they had saved money by calling it to coincide with the Holyrood elections whilst claiming the Tories would cost taxpayers ten ofthousands of pounds by calling a byelection for Douglas Ross's seat later (even though he has no plans to quit Westminster).
Has he actually apologised?

[Clark]

Yes it was a slightly better result for Labour but wasn't that just tactical votes from Conservatives rather than some old Labour voters returning home?

[Deleted]

If Labour replicated the SNP-Labour swing in the by-election across Scotland, they would gain Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath.

[ClevelandYorks]

May 14, 2021 17:10:43 GMT @conservativeestimate said:

If Labour replicated the SNP-Labour swing in the by-election across Scotland, they would gain Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath.

I suppose it depends on whether the Alba MPs contest their seats at the next election or if the party has wound up by then. It’s certainly a stroke of luck that they sit for Labour’s top two target seats in Scotland.