Scottish Labour win pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating incumbent SNP and surging Reform UK | Scottish politics

Scottish Labour is celebrating an “incredible” win in a pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating the incumbent SNP and fighting off Reform UK’s “racist” campaigning, in a result that confounded predictions and will boost the party ahead of next year’s Scottish parliamentary elections.

Voters in the central Scotland seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse rallied round the popular local candidate Davy Russell after a toxic campaign that saw Nigel Farage launch an unprecedented series of personal attacks on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, labelled racist by SNP leader John Swinney.

In his acceptance speech, Russell told jubilant supporters: “This community has sent a message to Farage and his mob: the poison of Reform isn’t us, it isn’t Scotland and we don’t want your…