Labour celebrates win in Scottish by-election

Michael Shanks is the new Labour MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West in Scotland

The Labour party has won an important election for a seat in Parliament in the UK, beating the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Michael Shanks has become the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rutherglen and Hamilton West following the vote, which is known as a by-election.

He secured 17,845 votes, more than double the number for the SNP's candidate Katy Loudon.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (left) and Michael Shanks (right)

"It is the honour of my life to have been elected as the MP for Rutherglen & Hamilton West," Mr Shanks said.

"Thank you to all those who helped deliver this result.

"The largest thanks goes to all those who have put their trust in me. My promise in return is a simple one: I will be your champion."

Mr Shanks, who is a modern studies teacher, now replaces former MP Margaret Ferrier. She was suspended from the SNP after breaking lockdown rules during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and lost her seat in Parliament earlier this year.

What is a by-election?

Katy Loudon was the SNP candidate at the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election

The UK is divided into 650 areas called constituencies.

Each area has a person called a Member of Parliament - MP - who represents it in the House of Commons.

A general election usually happens every five years and gives adults the chance to have their say on who runs the country.

In a general election, you vote for the person you want to be the MP in the constituency where you live.

So a general election is really 650 individual elections that all happen on one day, across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile a by-election happens in between general elections and occurs when an MP holding the position can no longer continue in the job - usually because they have resigned or have died.

What could the Rutherglen and Hamilton West win mean for the Labour party?

Labour leader Keir Starmer is hoping his party will take back power from the Conservatives at the next general election

This week's by-election in Scotland, which saw a swing of 20.4% of the vote from the SNP to Labour, is a big deal for the Labour party.

It now means there will be two Scottish Labour MPs in Parliament, with Michael Shanks joining MP Ian Murray.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said: "This is a seismic result. People in Rutherglen and Hamilton West have sent a clear message - it is time for change."

Conservative leader and prime minister Rishi Sunak hasn't said when he will call a general election

The Labour party is hoping to win a number of Scottish seats back from the SNP at the next election.

The recent by-election could put Labour in a stronger position to win back power from the Conservatives who have been the UK's governing party since 2010.

However, by-elections don't necessarily reflect how voting in a general election will take place in across the UK.

It's not yet known when the next general election will happen, but one will have to be called by January 2025 at the latest.