Rutherglen MP Michael Shanks speaks after triumphant general election win for Labour

Michael Shanks of Labour is the new MP for Rutherglen after triumphing with a commanding majority of 8767 votes.

He won the seat after receiving 21,460 votes in the general election and he is now preparing to take his seat at Westminster which he described as a “privilege”.

Mr Shanks told Lanarkshire Live: “It has been a long day and a long campaign but it is a privilege to be elected again for the new Rutherglen constituency and to deliver the change that we have been talking about.

“We now have the opportunity of waking up to a Labour government where we can actually implement those changes.”

The general election was a massive success for Labour as they became the majority party for Scotland in the Commons as well as Sir Keir Starmer being set to be named as Prime Minister.

Shanks continued: “It is a huge day for Scotland that we now have MPs who will be part of a UK Government who will be making decisions on how we recover as a country.

“Some of the big commitments we have made about making work pay and GB Energy will have a huge impact on Scotland and it is only right that we have MPs at the heart of Government to deliver that.

“The political picture has now changed in Scotland. The people of Scotland have given us the chance to serve.

“We know that in some cases people have lent us their vote who might not naturally be Labour voters and we need to make sure that trust is repaid. The difference is that we will be a government of service that will deliver on the missions that we have set out and not one with a sense of entitlement.

“The results in Scotland show that people are fed up with the devolved government and the backlash against the SNP showcases that.

“Of course, it was a surprise the scale of the result but we knew there was support from the doorsteps and they turned out and voted for us.

“I have had eight months as MP for Rutherglen and we are getting to a point where we are at a good place with setting up surgeries etc. I’ll now be going to Westminster on Monday with a big Labour Scotland team but at the heart will always be my constituency.”

Despite having only been the MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West for eight months, the former secondary teacher can’t wait for a fresh start as he admits that he was becoming “frustrated”.

He added: “It will feel different for everybody. I have been in for eight months but there are some Labour MPs who have been in for 14 years on the opposition benches.

“I can’t tell you how frustrated I was to lose vote after vote on policies you know are hurting people in your constituency in eight months, never mind 14 years.

“This will be a fresh start for far more seasoned MPs than me and it is one we will grasp.”

The SNP’s candidate in Rutherglen, Katy Loudon, spoke about her disappointment prior to the results being announced where she received 12, 693 votes - cutting the gap from the by-election.

She said: “The turnout is looking good and that is really encouraging. Although it doesn’t look like we have done it tonight, it does look like we have made inroads. Which we are pleased with.

“The result in Scotland hasn’t been announced yet, but it does look like it’s going to be a tough night for the SNP. We have to just keep on going.”

Elsewhere, Reform UK finished the night with the third most amount of votes and ahead of the Conservatives.

The final results for Rutherglen were:

Gloria Adebo - Liberal Democrats - 1714

Bill Bonnar - Scottish Socialist Party - 541

Gary Burns - Conservatives - 2420

Andrew Daly - Independent - 153

Jim Eadie - Alba - 497

John McArthur - Scottish Family Party - 321

Katy Loudon - SNP - 12,693

Michael Shanks - Labour - 21,460

David Stark - Reform UK - 2685

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