‘We’re going to fight this hard’: Labour keen for byelection test in Rutherglen

Anticipated vote would be chance to take on a shaken SNP and send message to voters UK-wide

On Rutherglen’s Main Street, the mood of Scottish Labour activists was as bright as the afternoon sunshine as they gathered for some teatime door-knocking. They were with Michael Shanks, their new candidate in the anticipated byelection for a seat currently held by the former SNP MP and Covid rule-breaker Margaret Ferrier.

But the buoyancy had a hard edge: Labour’s leaders see this byelection as a crucial test of what polls suggest is a sea change in Scottish politics after Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation in February. It is likely to be the last byelection before the general election, and Labour sees it as a way to send a message to voters UK-wide about its electability.