tyb
bringing forward
-
REFORM U.K CANDIDATE ROSS LAMBIE IN BY ELECTION IN HAMILTON THIS THURSDAY 5TH JUNE
Note: There is a lot going on atm, but in the u.k politics, Scotland is holding a by election due to the death of one of its mps.
Details below, article is behind paywall, read for free using archive link.
pb below.
>>23111577, >>23111597, >>23111618 Nigel Farage and Richard Tice speak LIVE from Aberdeen. (45 minutes including Q and A). with msm and antifa protestors outside.
===
Explainer: Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25191716.hamilton-by-election-need-know-vote/
https://archive.ph/ogAbX#selection-1419.0-1419.56
—
By Kathleen Nutt
Political Correspondent
What is the Hamilton by-election and why is it happening?
A by-election will be held on 5 June in the Holyrood seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, following the untimely death of SNP minister and MSP Christina McKelvie.
Ms McKelvie, who took medical leave last August to undergo treatment for secondary breast cancer, died at the end of March at the age of 57. Her passing prompted powerful tributes from across the political divide, with fellow MSPs praising her dedication and compassion.
She had held the seat since 2011, when she defeated former Scottish Labour minister Tom McCabe. Before that, she served as a regional MSP for Central Scotland from 2007 to 2011. At the 2021 Holyrood election, she beat Labour’s Monica Lennon by 16,761 votes to 12,179.
Who is standing — and who is expected to win?
At the outset of the by-election campaign, most observers expected a straight fight between the SNP and Labour. The SNP is standing Katy Loudon, a South Lanarkshire councillor, and she has been joined on the campaign trail by party leader and First Minister John Swinney.
Labour, meanwhile, is hoping to rebuild its base in the Central Belt. Its candidate is Davy Russell, a former senior official at Glasgow City Council who lives locally.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has has been campaigning hard in the area, buoyed by its performance in recent English local elections and a Westminster by-election win in Runcorn and Helsby earlier this month.
Deputy leader Richard Tice has visited the constituency and claimed the contest is now between Reform's Ross Lambie and the SNP.
Mr Farage himself is expected to campaign in Hamilton before polling day — his first visit to Scotland since 2019.
The party has previously struggled for a foothold north of the Border. But Reform hopes to attract disaffected voters across party lines — and if successful, could win its first seat in Holyrood.
Other candidates standing in the by-election include Richard Nelson for the Conservatives, Ann McGuinness for the Greens, Aisha Mir for the Liberal Democrats, Ross Lambie for Reform UK, Collette Bradley for the Scottish Socialist Party, Andy Brady for the Scottish Family Party, Janice Mackay for UKIP, and independent candidate Mark Wilkinson.
Why does this seat matter?
Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse has been an SNP stronghold for over a decade, but the area has a more varied electoral past. The by-election is being seen as a bellwether for the SNP’s popularity under new leadership, Labour’s appeal to traditional heartlands, and the potential disruption posed by Reform UK.
A strong performance for any of the parties could shape perceptions ahead of the next general election and beyond — and may provide an early glimpse of shifting political dynamics across Scotland.
continued