Five takeaways from Scottish Labour's surprising by-election win

Narrow victory is a mixed bag for Keir Starmer but Reform UK is the 'new party in Scotland'

Davy Russell, Scottish Labour candidate, celebrates with Anas Sarwar and Jackie Ballie and Monica Lennon (L) after winning the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election
Davy Russell, Hamilton's new MSP, celebrates with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (centre) and party colleagues
(Image credit: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images)

Politicians in Scotland and Westminster are digesting the outcome of the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election for the Holyrood Parliament – Scottish Labour narrowly defeating the SNP, with Reform UK coming a close third.

The "keenly awaited" result comes with less than a year to go until the Scottish Parliament election, said the BBC, but its significance stretches far beyond the border.

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  Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.