LABOUR begins its conference this weekend with a spring in its step after a “seismic” victory in the Rutherglen and Hamilton by-election.

Labour’s candidate Michael Shanks “blew the doors off,” party leader Sir Keir Starmer exclaimed after he won a whopping swing of more than 20 per cent from the SNP.

Following a lacklustre Tory conference in Manchester the win in the Scottish marginal will strengthen Labour delegates arriving in Liverpool’s sense they are on the way to government.

Mr Shanks called his victory the “honour of his life,” while both Sir Keir and Scottish leader, Anas Sarwar branded the result “seismic.”

Mr Sarwar said: “This result is not just a reflection of our fantastic campaign — it is also the result of Scots growing weary of SNP and Tory failure and turning to Scottish Labour to deliver change.

“It is a result not two months in the making, but two years in the making. The people of Scotland can see that Scottish Labour has changed and is ready to deliver.

“The contest is clear — while the SNP and Tory governments offer more division and incompetence, Scottish Labour is now the unrivalled party of change.

“Before tonight, Scottish Labour had not won a parliamentary by-election in 12 years — this is a turning point in Scottish politics, and it shows that the SNP and the Tories can be beaten.

“It’s clear that Scotland can lead the way in kicking out the Tories and delivering a Labour government.

“At the next general election a vote for Scottish Labour will deliver the change that Scotland and the UK needs.”

Sir Keir, who regarded the contest as a key measure of Labour progress in Scotland, added: “I have always said that winning back the trust of Scotland is essential.

“Tonight’s victory is the culmination of three-and-a-half years of hard work and humility on that journey.”

While Sir Keir, on the eve of Labour’s conference in Liverpool, was keen to credit his humility with the victory, others in Labour were less convinced.

Despite huge effort from both SNP and Labour, turnout was just 37.2 per cent — down from over 65 per cent in 2019 — and the Labour vote had fallen from 18,545 to 17,845.

Vince Mills, of the Red Paper Collective, told the Star: “The Labour candidate Michael Shanks got fewer votes than in 2019.

“The Tory vote collapsed.

“The ultra left and even the Greens hardly registered at all, while support for independence remains the same.

“The central feature of the election was the collapse in belief in the SNP as a means of change.

“That will not last unless Labour demonstrates it is serious about radical reform.

“The real winner in the election? Apathy.”

The seat had been passed back and forth between Labour and SNP over the last three general elections.

But SNP MP Margaret Ferrier was forced out of her party, and then office, after being convicted of breaching Covid regulations.

Both Labour and SNP saw the battle as a must-win, with party leaders Sir Keir and Humza Yousaf both devoting significant amounts of their time and their respective party’s resources into a contest which left them as the only parties not to lose their deposits.

For SNP leader Mr Yousaf the result caps a torrid first six months in post in which he has had to manage the fallout from Police Scotland investigations into the party finances, unprecedented public splits in his parliamentary group on the coalition with the Greens at Holyrood, and persistent rumours of a challenge.

SNP sources had been warning for some weeks that people they regarded as “their voters” would not be turning out to vote at the by-election as disaffection has grown over a foundering independence strategy.

Mr Yousaf commented: “We lost this seat in 2017, and like 2019 we can win this seat back.

“However, we will reflect on what we have to do to regain the trust of the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West.”

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn was keen to put Mr Shanks under pressure from the off.

Speaking on BBC Radion 4, he said: “I do look forward to meeting him in the House of Commons next week and perhaps holding him to some of the promises he’s made to the electorate, particularly in relation to the two-child cap and his position on Brexit which of course is very different from Sir Keir Starmer’s.”