First Minister John Swinney was delighted on Friday morning as he discovered the SNP had pulled of its best performance in 20 months in a Fife Council by-election.
SNP candidate Lynda Holton secured more than twice the votes of her next closest rival – Labour’s Maciej Dokurno – in the Glenrothes Central and Thornton contest.
The Scottish Conservatives languished in fifth place with just over 100 votes, behind Reform UK and the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
The council ward makes up a large part of the seat Labour won at the general election last summer so the SNP were keen to show they could win back support.
‘It’s an outstanding result’
Speaking to The Courier on Friday, Mr Swinney said he was delighted.
“It’s an outstanding result,” he said.
“There’s no other way to describe it. It is just about where we were in 2022 when the SNP was doing really well.
“It’s the strongest SNP by-election performance for at least 20 months, which is an indication of a real strengthening of the SNP’s electoral position.”
It is a boost for the SNP as the campaign for a high-profile Holyrood by-election in June ramps up.
The contest was called after the death of incumbent SNP MSP Christina McKelvie.
Labour leader Anas Sarwar was in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency to kickstart his effort on Friday.
Nigel Farage’s Reform party also hopes to keep the pressure on in as he tests the public mood before a push to enter the Scottish Parliament next spring.
Mr Swinney had another reason to be cheerful after a UK business awards event in Edinburgh on Thursday evening.
An auction where Mr Swinney offered his services for a morning caused a bidding war to break out. The eventual winner shelled out over £20,000.
Another offer – where the winner could host a dinner party with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes – sold for “a lot less”, according to one attendee.
Meanwhile, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay might be feeling even less optimistic today.
His party was pushed into third place in Glenrothes at last year’s general election. At the council by-election on Thursday, Tories fell to fifth place.
Reform UK’s Ian Smith came third securing 541 votes, nearly three times as many votes as the Conservatives and only 100 votes behind Scottish Labour.
It seems the rise of the Reform UK – largely at the expense of Mr Findlay’s party – is unstoppable.
Ian Smith – the party’s candidate – said he was “thrilled”.
He told The Courier: “We showed that there’s a real appetite for change here in Glenrothes Central and Thornton.
“On the doorstep, people told me they’re tired of being let down by the same old parties — and our result proves they’re ready to back a fresh alternative.”
Conversation