The SNP won Labour's third safest seat in Scotland on a huge swing last night, with the Conservatives beating the LibDems into third place:
John Mason, SNP
11,277 (43.08%, +26.06%)Margaret Curran, Labour
10,912 (41.69%, -18.99%)Davena Rankin, Conservative
1,639 (6.26%, -0.64%)Ian Robertson, LibDem
915 (3.50%, -8.35%)
A stunning result.
Fraser Nelson, who had analysed the constituency as closely as anyone but was still sceptical of an SNP victory, explains Labour's predicament well:
"This is the most momentous Scottish by-election since Hillhead in 1982. The SNP’s greatest victory since the Hamilton by-election which put it on the map in 1967. And a result which has fought off very tough competition to be Gordon Brown’s worst setback yet.
Westminster will want to know what this means for Gordon Brown. The question they should ask is what this means for Labour – and if there is such a thing as “rock bottom” for this party. Because tonight there just seems to be a vacuum, sucking up the Labour Party up very quickly. Yes, it was standing tall a year ago – but so was Bear Stearns. Labour looks like it may be heading the same way. As its National Policy Forum starts today, Labour should try very, very hard to envisage what its worst case scenario now looks like."
David Cameron said to Sky News this morning that voters want a change that only a general election can bring:
"What I wonder is whether we can really put up with this for another 18 months. I think whenever people have had a chance to speak about this government whether at the local elections whether in Crewe, whether in Henley, whether in the London Mayor elections and now in Glasgow they’ve said look we think you’re failing and we want change.
I think the PM should have is holiday but then I think we need an election. We need change in this country and that’s how change should come about."