Alex Salmond yesterday admitted that he had got it wrong over the Glenrothes by-election, saying it was entirely down to him that the SNP lost.

Alex Salmond yesterday admitted that he had got it wrong over the Glenrothes by-election, saying it was entirely down to him that the SNP lost.

Mr Salmond appeared contrite as he explained how he had got things wrong in Glenrothes, leaving the Fife seat unwinnable after failing to deal with the burning local issue of the way the council had reorganised care charges.

The First Minister said he had misjudged the matter, leaving him to blame for the way in which the party failed to react to Labour's attacks on the issue.

He claimed he was solely to blame for the political misjudgment in failing to combat Labour tactics, which he described as "scaremongering, disreputable and thoroughly dishonest".

But he admitted the tactic had worked, saying: "We were overwhelmed by a campaign that was local and entirely negative, based on scaremongering. The SNP will be back to defeat that kind of campaign."

Labour activists, meanwhile, joined the new MP Lindsay Roy, Scottish leader Iain Gray and Scotland Secretary Jim Murphy for celebrations in Glenrothes.

Mr Gray said: "Alex Salmond didn't claim he could win, he said he would win. That's typical of his empty bluster. People have seen the difference between what the SNP say and what they actually do. Alex Salmond's effrontery at taking the voters for granted and declaring victory on the first day of the election and then again last weekend has been exposed."

Mr Murphy said: "We are absolutely delighted with Lindsay's win. What we have seen is a vindication of Gordon Brown's leadership of the Labour Party."