The Scottish National Party (SNP) lost a key by-election in Scotland last week, a further blow for the pro-independence party which has had some serious ructions in recent years.
In a by-election held last week, the Labour candidate, Michael Shanks, won 58.6% of the vote. The SNP candidate, Katy Loudon, managed 27.6%, a decline of 17% percentage points.
No other candidate won more than 5% of the vote.
The by-election, for a constituency in Greater Glasgow, became necessary because the previous MP, Margaret Ferrier, was recalled for breaching Covid-19 regulations in 2020.
The leader of the SNP, Hamza Yousaf, called the result ‘disappointing’ while the leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, said Shanks had ‘blown the doors off’.
The SNP is currently under pressure, with accusations of fraud being made against the party, with speculation that former SNP leader and First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, could be charged by police.