 | 'One MP said: "We would have lost by 2000 votes if we had not fought the campaign we did and had Margaret Curran as a candidate."' Magnus Gardham in the Daily Record, 25 th July 2008. |  |
| 'One MP said: "We would have lost by 2000 votes if we had not fought the campaign we did and had Margaret Curran as a candidate."' Magnus Gardham in the Daily Record, 25 th July 2008. | |
GORDON Brown is today facing disaster after the SNP celebrated a stunning victory in the Glasgow East by-election.
Nats candidate John Mason achieved a massive swing to take the once rock-solid Labour seat.
He got 11,277 votes to Labour candidate Margaret Curran's 10, 912.
It was a majority of just 365 - but represented the "political earthquake" SNP leader Alex Salmond had predicted. It was the biggest upset in Labour's Scottish heartlands since the loss of Glasgow Govan in 1988.
In his victory speech, Mason said his party had "removed the dead hand of Labour control".
And he boasted that Labour MPs across Scotland would now be "quaking in their boots".
The SNP won 43.1 per cent of the vote, compared to Labour's 41.7. It represented a swing of more than 22 per cent from Labour's 13,507 majority at the last election.
Tory candidate Davena Rankin came third in yesterday's poll with 1639 votes. Lib DemIan Robertson got 915.
Salmond said the result was catastrophic for Labour.
He added: "Every Labour MP, apart from Tom Clarke, will be getting their jotters on the basis of this result."
SNP deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon said: "This is a brilliant result for the SNP.
"This was Labour's third safest seat in Scotland and sixth safest in the UK."
Curran said: "I believe the Labour Party has to listen and hear the message from the people of Glasgow East.
"I said at the beginning of this campaign I was driven to tackle poverty and inequality. My commitment to that remains as strong as ever."
Labour MP and Scotland Office minister David Cairns, who played a key role in the campaign, said: "This is a serious and bad result.
"People have given us a message. The issues have been overwhelmingly about the cost of living, about food prices, petrol prices, utility bills.
"People understand the global situation but they look to the Government to sort things out.
"I don't think the fate of prime ministers hangs on by-elections. I've said all along Gordon will lead us into the next election and win.
"But the message to the entire Government is that people want to know that we understand that they really are feeling the pinch.
"The entire Government has to reflect on that and bring forward policies that take on their concerns."
Turn-out in the poll was 42 per cent, down from 48 per cent at the last general election.
Counting got under way at Tollcross leisure centre shortly after polls closed at 10pm.
The SNP were confident of a victory well before midnight.
But the results were not announced until just before 2.30pm, following the nail-biting re-count.
The result piles pressure on Prime Minister Brown. He is reeling from a troubled year in office and a by-election defeat in Crewe and Nantwich. Labour activists stood grim-faced as votes for Mason piled up.
SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson was jubilant.
He said: "It just feels absolutely tremendous. It will sink in in due course.
This is going to have a huge impact. There has been lots of interest outside Scotland and even outside the UK in this by-election and it is going to send a message everywhere.
"No one was predicting this. Labour had a huge majority."
Salmond visited the constituency 11 times during the three-week campaign.
And he told voters the poll was a choice between his Scottish government and Brown's Westminster administration.
Labour's campaign got off to a rocky start when its first-choice candidate pulled out at the last moment. But Curran - already a Glasgow MSP - is widely thought to have fought a solid battle.
Senior Labour figures had predicted a close result, but there was growing optimism over the past week that the party could scrape through.
Labour insiders insisted they had fought a good campaign.
One MP said: "We would have lost by 2000 votes if we had not fought the campaign we did and had Margaret Curran as a candidate."
The Nats were helped by the poor showing of the Lib Dems, whose vote halved from the last general election, with many supporters moving over the SNP.
The Tory vote held firm, allowing them to leapfrog the Lib Dems and take third place.
Brown will face Labour's policy forum inWarwick today with recriminations in full swing.
The PM and his Cabinet colleagues have repeatedly insisted losing Glasgow East would not force him to step down.
But it will fuel discontent among backbenchers over his poor personal poll ratings and presentation skills, as well as decisions such as the 10p tax row and vehicle excise duty.
Solidarity leader Tommy Sheridan said: "This is a disaster for Labour.
"If they don't learn the lessons and stop attacking the poor, stop the war in Iraq and get rid of Trident, then next time it will not just be Glasgow East, it will be the whole of Scotland."
The by-election was sparked by the resignation of DavidMarshall on health grounds.
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