Gordon Brown was given respite from his political troubles early today when Labour won the Glasgow North East by-election, holding off a challenge from the SNP.

In what was almost certainly the last test of public opinion before a general election, the Labour candidate, Willie Bain, gave the Prime Minister a much-needed boost by holding off with some ease the challenge from David Kerr, of the SNP.

Mr Bain hailed the result, saying: “It’s a great endorsement for Gordon Brown in his efforts to set the economy back on track, and it shows the general election is very much game on.”

Although Labour’s majority over the SNP was down from the 10,100 of the 2005 general election, the scale of the victory was still impressive. The Nationalists privately conceded defeat after only a few of the ballot boxes had been opened and counted.

Turnout was 33 per cent, against 45 per cent in 2005, and a record low for a Westminster by-election in Scotland — a reflection of voter fury over the Commons expenses scandal.

The former Commons Speaker Michael Martin, now Lord Martin of Springburn, resigned from the seat in June in the aftermath of the row over his role in the scandal. Mr Martin, who had been MP for the area since 1979, held the seat as Speaker in 2005.

Labour will be especially happy to have so easily avoided a repeat of last year’s humiliation in the neighbouring Glasgow East constituency, when its 13,000 majority was overturned by the SNP. So desperate was Labour to hang on to this seat that the party flooded the constituency yesterday with hundreds of activists from all over Britain.

Mr Brown will be satisfied that Labour managed to halt the series of recent by-election defeats in previously safe seats for the party and chalk up a substantial victory in what is a traditional heartland constituency.

Defeat would not have been seen at Westminster as a threat to Mr Brown’s immediate future as Labour leader and Prime Minister, mainly because no one in his Cabinet is campaigning for the job with a probable general election defeat looming. If Glasgow North East had been lost, it would have meant there was hardly a safe Labour seat anywhere.

The SNP will be disappointed that it did not manage a repeat of its “earthquake” result in Glasgow East, but the Nationalist campaign was never allowed to develop any momentum in the face of a determined and well-organised Labour effort.

The result also showed that there is still no sign of any real increase in support in Scotland for the Conservatives, despite campaign visits by

David Cameron, George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, and other Shadow Cabinet heavyweights, as well as an impressive candidate in Ruth Davidson.

Glasgow North East is one of the poorest constituencies in Britain, with higher-than-average levels of unemployment, poverty, crime and drug addiction and low levels of educational attainment.

Results

Labour 12,231 59.4%

SNP 4,120 20%

Conservative 1,075 5.2%

BNP 1,013 4.9%

Solidarity 794 3.9%

Majority 8,111

Turnout 33%

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