Labour takes Govanhill as SNP loses key seats
The Labour Party has clinched a pivotal win in Govanhill, with John Grady ousting SNP’s David Linden in a significant political shift during last week's General Election. Held at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena, the count revealed a dramatic change from yellow to red in Scotland's largest city, marking a broader nationwide trend that saw Labour gain a majority with 409 seats. Voter turnout in the constituency was notably low at 51%, the lowest in over two decades.
By Samar Jamal
Govanhill now has a Labour MP after the General Election last week.
The count was held at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow and the results were revealed in the early hours of Friday morning. Scotland's largest city experienced a political shift from yellow to red as both SNP MPs, David Linden and Stewart McDonald, lost their seats.
Labour’s John Grady will now be representing Govanhill after beating SNP’s David Linden who served Glasgow East since 2017. With 15,543 votes, he scored a majority of 3,784 over Linden.
Across the constituency, 51 percent of the 68,988 people registered to vote turned out, significantly lower than the national average of 60 percent, which is thought to be the lowest turn out for more than 20 years.
Govanhill previously formed part of Glasgow Central, but boundary changes meant that the constituency was abolished and Govanhill and the Gorbals was absorbed into Glasgow East. Much of the surrounding Southside falls into Glasgow South, while Pollokshields forms part of Glasgow South West.
Commenting on his win, Grady tweeted: “I am deeply honoured to have been elected as the MP for Glasgow East. The opportunity to serve the communities of Glasgow East is a privilege and I will do this to the best of my abilities… I thank David Linden. David has been a conscientious and diligent MP. Over the last year, many people in Glasgow East have told me how highly they think of David. I agree with them.”
Nationwide, Labour secured a majority with 409 seats, with six seats yet to be announced. After 14 years in power, the Conservatives faced a significant loss of 246 seats, including one in Scotland.
Read more: Sweets and Coffee: A front-row seat to the election count in Glasgow — Greater Govanhill
Prior to the election, we asked all the candidates, including John Grady questions developed from responses people in local area told us they wanted candidates to be speaking about when competing for votes. In Glasgow East, we had responses from all candidates apart from Reform UK and the Labour Party.
We hope to interview John Grady soon and will be following up on the answers he gives to the issues our readers care about.
Labour also saw significant wins across other areas in Scotland, compared to the last election where they gained only one seat. Including Glasgow South, where Labour's Gordon McKee is the new MP, succeeding Stewart McDonald.
Following his victory, McKee paid tribute to Stewart McDonald, acknowledging the national trend for change indicated by the vote. He emphasised: "While this result may not reflect the character of my opponents, it signifies a strong desire for change among the people of Glasgow South."
Labour secured a total of 37 seats in Scotland whereas SNP gained only nine and lost 39. First Minster John Swinney said it was: "very, very difficult and damaging" for the party.
Across the UK, the Reform Party, which has evolved from Brexit and UKIP party gained a total of 5 seats. In 98 constituencies, Reform came in second place, raising concerns about voter dissatisfaction towards traditional parties. In Glasgow East, Reform came in 4th place, not far behind the Greens and beating the Conservatives, Lib Dems and Scottish Socialists.