Test for Labour and SNP as Inverclyde votes


By Tony Grew
- 30th June 2011

Voting is taking place in a by-election in the Scottish constituency of Inverclyde.

Labour is defending a majority of more than 14,000.

In May the SNP won a landslide victory in the Holyrood elections, and the nationalists pushed the Labour majority in the equivalent seat to Inverclyde in the Scottish parliament seat to 511.

However, Labour traditionally does better in Westminster elections.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown and shadow chancellor Ed Balls have both visited the constituency to campaign for the Labour candidate Iain McKenzie.

And Scotland's newly-elected first minister, SNP leader Alex Salmond, has visited Inverclyde to campaign for Anne McLaughlin, a former MSP.

The other candidates are: Sophie Bridger (Lib Dem), David Wilson (Con) and Mitch Sorbie (Ukip).

The former MP David Cairns died in May of acute pancreatitis. He was 44.

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