'Listening to people' paid off with win for Davy

Davy Russell says he is “elated” and “almost speechless” to be elected as MSP for his home constituency of Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse - and says he will immediately be focusing on local issues including improvements to Hamilton town centre as he takes his seat in his first political role.

- JUDITH TONNER

The Labour candidate registered a surprise victory in the constituency’s Holyrood by-election, overturning the previous 4582 majority to finish ahead of the SNP, who had been bidding to retain the seat, and Reform - who came third, just 869 votes behind the runner-up party with more than a quarter of the vote.

Mr Russell was congratulated as the result was declared at 1.30am on Friday by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and deputy Dame Jackie Baillie, as they celebrated a landmark victory in an intense contest previously declared a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform by both of those parties.

The new MSP told the Hamilton Advertiser the result was “tremendous” and demonstrated the success of his “back to basics” approach in which he eschewed broadcast interviews and set-piece events in favour of a highly-localised ground strategy of knocking on doors to speak to voters multiple times during the seven-week campaign.