Labour on attack as SNP hails by-election victory

Reporter

Saturday 19 November 2011

THE SNP hailed victory in the Hillhead by-election as a step towards toppling Labour's control of Glasgow City Council for the first time in almost 40 years.

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VICTORIA WELDON

Party officials claimed an 11% increase in the SNP vote share and a swing of nearly 4% from Labour indicated the traditional Labour stronghold could be secured by the SNP in next May’s local elections.

The nationalists, who view control of the city council as vital to securing independence for Scotland, said the result showed Glaswegians are ready to vote for change.However, their claims were rubbished by a Scottish Labour Party spokesman, who criticised the SNP’s “dreadful arrogance”.Congratulating new Hillhead councillor Ken Andrew, SNP deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon promised the party would strive to take control of Glasgow City Council next year.She wrote online: “A welcome sign last night that Glasgow wants change in the City Chambers. The SNP will be working hard to win the city’s trust in May.“This result shows there is all to play for in Glasgow for next May’s elections as people across the city take the opportunity to vote to make Glasgow better.”Her comments were echoed by Councillor Andrew, who also claimed the win was more than just a by-election victory.He said: “I’m privileged to have been elected for Hillhead and I’m looking forward to getting straight to work.“This result is more than simply a by-election win for the SNP. This is a sign of the determination of the people of Glasgow to grasp an opportunity for change in their city. “It is a vote for the positive message of the SNP as Glasgow and Scotland move forward.”Glasgow Kelvin SNP MSP Sandra White welcomed a first-preference swing from all parties to the SNP – including 4% from Labour, 10% from the Liberal Democrats and 5% from the Scottish Conservatives.She said: “With swings to the SNP from all parties, this by-election shows we are continuing to win support across the board from people who want better governance for Glasgow.“This is an excellent start to the SNP’s campaign for May’s elections and a chance for people in all parts of Glasgow to make the city better with a fresh start for the city council.”However, Labour last night insisted the SNP’s hold on the seat by a majority of just 80 votes and a vote share increase of more than 5% showed Labour was still a threat.A party spokesman said: “This is dreadful arrogance from the SNP who want to announce the result next year before a single vote has been cast. They might want to take people for granted, but Labour won’t. “The election next year will be between a new, fresh team from Glasgow Labour under the leadership of Gordon Matheson, and an SNP team who are actually backing the Edinburgh Government’s unfair cut to the city’s budget. The fact this result was so close in a ward they thought they had in the bag shows that Glasgow’s new generation of Labour candidates has the SNP on the run.”Labour MP Margaret Curran said: “Well done to all the campaign team who delivered such a close result, much closer than many pundits predicted, and came within 80 votes of making this a Labour gain. “The turnout was very low so we are taking nothing for granted as we prepare for the local government elections next year, where we seek to persuade people of the positive case Labour has for how councils can change their lives.”The by-election was held after the death of SNP councillor George Roberts, 68, who passed away in September.Councillor Andrew won with 1026 votes, ahead of Labour candidate Martin McElroy with 945. The Scottish Green Party came third with 435 votes, followed by the Scottish Conservatives on 372 and the Liberal Democrats on 307.There was a low turnout, of just 13.65%.

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Labour on attack as SNP hails by-election victory

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