SNP outspent Labour in Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election campaign despite historic drubbing

The SNP outspent Scottish Labour in a doomed attempt at holding onto the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat in the recent by-election.

Official election returns show Humza Yousaf's party spent £95,997 in their desperate bid to win in South Lanarkshire.

Labour, whose candidate Michael Shanks romped to victory, recorded spending of £81,877.

The by-election was called after the disgraced Margaret Ferrier, elected on an SNP ticket, was forced out by voters.

Shanks, in one of the most pivotal elections in decades, hammered SNP candidate Katy Loudon by 9,446 votes on a swing of over 20 per cent.

But candidate spending returns show the SNP threw everything at the seat despite financial problems as a result of plummeting membership numbers.

They spent £41,800 on advertising, £36,657 on unsolicited materials to voters, £7,544 on “agent and other staff costs” and £9,995 on accommodation and administration.

The SNP spent £17,175 on an "election address", £10,469 on a "voter survey" and gave around £3,000 to Jack McKelvie for services.

Another £2,390 was given to TNT for rent, while £573 was spent on a carpet and £3,500 on "refurbishment".

Labour’s spending bundle, located at South Lanarkshire council headquarters, was significantly slimmer in size.

Anas Sarwar’s party spent £15,020 on advertising, £22,709 on unsolicited materials to voters, £5,300 on transport, £3805 on public meetings, £30,847 on “agent and other staff costs” and £4,194 on accommodation and administration.

The supplier for a number of items was Labour headquarters at Rushworth Street in London.

Labour's higher end notional spending included £12,118 on staff costs from the party and £3,744 for office rental.

Labour recorded £81,877 in “campaign” donations from the party, while the SNP declared around £95,000 in donations from themselves.

Part of this was a £5,428 cash donation and £90,568 in “non cash”.

The spending limit was £100,000 per candidate.

The SNP was heavily criticised during the campaign after it emerged they were using door-to-door leafletters.

Meanwhile, the Tories only spent £13,533 on candidate Thomas Kerr's candidate, lending weight to the view of rivals they were going slow in the campaign.

An SNP spokesperson said: “In the face of successive failing Westminster governments, the SNP always work as hard as possible to offer people across Scotland a better future and politicians who deliver for them.”

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