{"id":119598,"date":"2023-10-05T10:30:18","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T10:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/?p=119598"},"modified":"2023-10-05T10:30:18","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T10:30:18","slug":"snp-facing-seismic-defeat-in-crunch-by-election-as-voters-head-to-the-polls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/politics\/snp-facing-seismic-defeat-in-crunch-by-election-as-voters-head-to-the-polls\/","title":{"rendered":"SNP facing \u2018seismic\u2019 defeat in crunch by-election as voters head to the polls"},"content":{"rendered":"
Voters are heading to the polls in a key Westminster by-election that could decide the long-term fate of the SNP.<\/p>\n
Polls opened in the constituency of Rutherglen and Hamilton West this morning, the seat formerly represented by Margaret Ferrier before she was booted out by voters following her lengthy Commons suspension for breaking Covid rules.<\/p>\n
The seat is experiencing Scotland\u2019s first-ever recall by-election since the process was created, whereby 10 percent of voters can trigger a new vote for their MP if they are handed a Parliamentary suspension of more than 10 days.<\/p>\n
The by-election comes at a crucial time for the SNP, with polls for Scottish voting intentions consistently showing a sizeable fall in the party\u2019s popularity since the departure – and subsequent arrest – of Nicola Sturgeon.<\/p>\n
The party\u2019s new leader, Humza Yousaf, will come under intense pressure if Labour wins the seat, which national poll swings suggest they might.<\/p>\n
Click here to join our Whatsapp community to be the first to receive the latest politics news<\/strong><\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong> SNP’s Yousaf hits out at ‘Starmer’s man’ in bid to stop by-election nightmare<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The SNP\u2019s percentage point lead over Labour has fallen from the mid-20s in May 2022, to single figures since Mr Yousaf won the party\u2019s leadership race.<\/p>\n Two polls since his election have also shown the SNP tying with Labour on 34 percent and 35 percent respectively.<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s leading pollster, Sir John Curtice, has said the seat is a \u201cmust-win\u201d for Keir Starmer and his Scottish leader Anas Sarwar.<\/p>\n Sir John told the National newspaper: \u201cI\u2019d be inclined to say it would be a much bigger milestone if they fail to win.<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> <\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a relatively marginal SNP-held seat \u2013 it was won by Labour in 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if the by-election had been held six months ago it should have been a close contest, as by that stage even though support for the SNP was not particularly down, Labour\u2019s vote was around 10 points up and that\u2019s all Labour need to do in order to be able to pick the seat up.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWhat we are looking for in this by-election, assuming Labour win, is how well they win\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThey ought to win relatively comfortably\u2026 being as far ahead in terms of the share of the vote as the SNP were in 2019. That would be a 10 percent swing with current national polls on average, although there is some variation pointing to about 11 points.\u201d<\/p>\n Anas Sarwar has said a win could have a \u201cseismic\u201d impact for his party both in Scotland and across the country.<\/p>\n The SNP candidate, Katie Loudon, has turned up the heat during the by-election, accusing Labour of \u201ccolluding\u201d with Tory policies like the two-child welfare cap.<\/p>\n She\u2019s insisted she feels confident about the vote, saying she hopes voters send a message to both Tories and Labour in Westminster that: \u201cwe reject your Brexit, we reject your austerity, we reject that you ignore this constituency and Scotland\u2026 and send a message to Keir Starmer\u2019s Labour party that we\u2019re not going to put up with your lurch to the right\u201d.<\/p>\n Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Penny Mordaunt hits out at Humza Yousaf and the SNP Voters are heading to the polls in a key Westminster by-election that could decide the […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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