SCOTTISH Labour members are "confident" that the UK party's loss in the Hartlepool by-election is not a sign of things to come north of the border.
Speaking to The Herald, several senior Labour party sources said the campaign in the English constituency had "everything" wrong with it, and could not be compared to their election campaign in Scotland.
Hartlepool has just elected its first ever Conservative MP in Jill Mortimer, with Labour's Dr Paul William's losing out by a significant amount.
Ms Mortimer claimed victory in the by-election with 15,529 votes to Labour's 8,589.
One UK Labour source told the Herald: "This needs to be a wake-up call for us, but it is unlikely to be a similar picture in Scotland.
"Anas [Sarwar] has run a highly successful, energetic campaign and we are confident he has done a good job in Scotland, as have all the candidates."
A Scottish Labour figure said the Hartlepool result was "absolutely not" a reflection of how the vote could go in Scotland, adding: "Anas has been received positively on every doorstep, and I hope that will show in the results.
"I'm quietly confident."
When asked whether the Hartlepool result was down to the party choosing the wrong candidate, or if it was part of a wider shift, they said it was about "wrong everything" and added it was "absolutely not" an indication of how things could play out in Scotland.
Another Scottish Labour source said: "It's devastating, but we have to keep positive. I don't think the issues are the same in Scotland as in Hartlepool and I don't think it's a reflection of how we will do."
They joked: "Mind you, that could be famous last words."
Scottish Labour has been fighting it out with the Tories for second place in the Holyrood vote, with Anas Sarwar choosing to emphasise the need for recovery from the pandemic, and collaboration, rather than rows about the constitution.
On the eve of poll, Nicola Sturgeon said she would work with the Scottish Labour party on policy issues, and said the party had some "good ideas".
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