Hamilton by-election a two-horse race between SNP and Reform, claims Tice

The Holyrood by-election in Hamilton is a two-horse race between Reform and the SNP, Richard Tice has claimed.

Voters will go to the polls on June 5 in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election sparked by the death of Government minister Christina McKelvie.

The two frontrunners are widely believed to be the SNP and Scottish Labour but Reform’s deputy leader claimed his party could be in with a chance, judging by the reaction on doorsteps and internal polling.

Speaking to the PA news agency at the party’s base in Hamilton, Mr Tice said: “We’re getting a great response, we’re campaigning to win.

“It’s a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform UK, and we’re surprising everybody.”

Asked what led him to believe his party was in the running, Mr Tice said: “Just the response we’re getting, the interest, the noise, the polls, our internal polling, everything says that.

“Yes, if you go to the bookies, they’ll tell you the SNP is odds on but in politics you fight to win at the ballot box and that’s what we’re doing.”

The MP even added that he believes next year’s election to be a contest between Reform and the SNP.

“That’s what we’re building towards – could we screw it up? Yes,” he said.

“But we will work hard and push on, absolutely.

“Broadly in life, you make your own luck, so that’s our job.”

The party aims to use its record in the 10 English councils it now controls during its campaign over the next 12 months.

Speaking earlier on Saturday during a visit to a gymnastics club in Blantyre, former first minister Nicola Sturgeon said she viewed the race as one between the SNP and Labour.

“That’s a reasonable assumption,” she said.

“But Labour are really struggling at the moment and, in my view, that’s because Labour are getting the challenge to Nigel Farage woefully wrong.”

It is understood Scottish Labour sees a slim margin between its candidate in the South Lanarkshire seat, Davy Russell, and the SNP’s Katy Loudon, with other parties far behind.

Mr Tice’s visit comes after Reform UK took second place in a local council by-election in Clydebank which was won by the SNP.

Despite winning, the SNP dropped almost 17% in first preference votes, compared to Labour losing 12% while Reform won 26.3% of the vote.

Mr Tice said the result showed people in Scotland want to talk about issues like immigration – one of Reform’s key topics.

With less than a year left before the Holyrood election, Reform does not have a leader in Scotland and has little in the way of policy.

Asked for one of the party’s flagship stances ahead of the vote in May of next year, Mr Tice pointed to support for oil and gas.

“Drill Scotland, drill,” he said.

“Let’s use the oil and gas treasure, let’s issue more licences, let’s encourage investment offshore and onshore.

“Because we’ve got all this energy treasure, we should use it, it’s ours and that’s the way to create highly skilled, highly paid jobs.”

Oil and gas licensing is a reserved matter, with permissions only able to be handed out by the UK Government.

Asked about the reserve nature of what he said was one of his party’s key policies, Mr Tice said: “People know that if we do well in Scotland, it will terrify Labour, it’ll terrify the SNP, it’ll terrify the eco-zealots.

“Then when we win, the people of Scotland have the opportunity to send a message to Westminster – we want oil, we want gas, we want more money in our pockets.”

Mr Tice also laid out another of the party’s key policies, saying: “There are only two sexes, male and female, and we shouldn’t be teaching gender claptrap to our children in schools.

“Because, you know what? When we campaign in rallies and events, that gets the biggest round of applause.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “The only party that can beat the SNP in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse is Scottish Labour.

“Every vote for Reform is a vote to help the SNP.

“Reform has already admitted that the best they can do is to finish third and Nigel Farage has even admitted that he doesn’t care if the SNP win.

“It’s obvious that Reform supporters in Scotland are being led up the garden path by Richard Tice.

“This is a Scottish Parliament election and the people know that only Scottish Labour can end SNP chaos and division.

“Only Scottish Labour’s Davy Russell can beat the SNP and stand up for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.”