Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election 2023: result
The Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election was held on 5 October 2023. Michael Shanks (Labour) won with 17,845 votes, 58.6% of the valid vote, a majority of 9,446 over Katy Loudon (Scottish National Party).
The House of Commons Library describes the result as: “Labour gain from Scottish National Party by Michael Shanks with a majority of 9,446”.
At the general election of 12 December 2019, Margaret Ferrier (Scottish National Party) won the seat with 44.2% of the vote; at the by-election Scottish National Party received 27.6%.
Turnout was 37.1% of the 82,104 electorate, lower than the 66.5% at that general election.
The largest change in a party's share since the general election was for Labour, up 24.1 percentage points.
By-election result, 5 October 2023
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Shanks | Labour | 17,845 | 58.6% | +24.1 |
| Katy Loudon | Scottish National Party | 8,399 | 27.6% | −16.6 |
| Thomas Jordan Kerr | Conservative | 1,192 | 3.9% | −11.1 |
| Gloria Adebo | Liberal Democrat | 895 | 2.9% | −2.3 |
| Cameron Eadie | Scottish Green Party | 601 | 2.0% | |
| David Stark | Reform UK | 403 | 1.3% | |
| Niall Fraser | Scottish Family Party | 319 | 1.1% | |
| Bill Bonnar | Scottish Socialist Party | 271 | 0.9% | |
| Colette Walker | Independence for Scotland Party | 207 | 0.7% | |
| Christopher A Sermanni | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 178 | 0.6% | |
| Andrew Vincent Daly | Independent | 81 | 0.3% | |
| Ewan Hoyle | Volt United Kingdom | 46 | 0.2% | |
| Prince A L Emperor of India | Independent | 34 | 0.1% | |
| Garry Patrick Cooke | Independent | 6 | 0.0% |
Electorate 82,104; valid votes 30,477; rejected ballots 54. Change is in percentage points against the previous general election, by party.
Previous general election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, 12 December 2019
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Ferrier | Scottish National Party | 23,775 | 44.2% | +7.2 |
| Gerard Killen | Labour and Co-operative Party | 18,545 | 34.5% | −3.1 |
| Lynne Nailon | Conservative | 8,054 | 15.0% | −4.6 |
| Mark McGeever | Liberal Democrat | 2,791 | 5.2% | +1.0 |
| Janice Mackay | UK Independence Party | 629 | 1.2% | +0.3 |
Electorate 80,918; valid votes 53,794; majority 5,230. The Commons Library describes it as: “Scottish National Party gain from Labour by Margaret Ferrier with a majority of 5,230”.
All general elections and by-elections
Sources
- By-election result page
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827b84d6133f8a64… - By-election candidate results (CSV)
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40b3e1d70406fe0d… - Previous general election result page
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
87d21e8d1a3f826e… - Previous general election candidate results (CSV)
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