Glenrothes by-election: reaction
Updated on 07 November 2008
'The Alex Salmond bubble has well and truly burst.' All the reaction to the Glenrothes by-election.
Lindsay Roy, new MP for Glenrothes
"I pledge my support to the leader of this country. Someone who has worked very hard on behalf of all of us, not just in Fife, but in Scotland and the UK during these volatile economic times.
"With Gordon Brown interest rates are at a record low helping hard working families. With Gordon Brown unemployment is less than half it was under the Tories some time ago.
"With Gordon Brown pensioners are getting a cheque for £250 through their door to help with winter fuel bills.
"With Gordon Brown, Britain is strong. With Gordon Brown Labour has won here in Glenrothes and central Fife."
Gordon Brown, Prime Minister
"We have had an excellent candidate in Lindsey Roy. He's the headmaster of my former school, and I think everybody agrees that he's an excellent local man who will do a very good job for the people of Fife at Westminster.
"But what I learn from this by-election is that people are prepared to support governments that will help people fairly through the down-turn and offer real help to people in tough times.
"People are prepared to give support to governments who are prepared to take the action, and less willing to support people who have no idea about how they can solve the problems we've got."
Peter Grant , SNP candidate
"We have seen the SNP vote in this constituency increase by almost 50 per cent on what it was a few years ago.
"That is a magnificent result by any standards, without taking anything away from the achievement Labour have managed."
Maurice Golden, Conservative candidate
"This was a victory for Lindsay Roy, not for Gordon Brown.
"The Alex Salmond bubble has well and truly burst. Scotland has woken up to the fact that in a Westminster election, the SNP is not a voice for change.
"Scottish politics is a three-horse race with the Liberal Democrats an irrelevance."
Tavish Scott, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader
"The First Minister made a great virtue of visiting Glenrothes regularly. Perhaps if he spent more time being First Minister rather than leader of the SNP, there would have been a different result.
"Alex Salmond predicted the SNP would win - he got it spectacularly wrong.
"Scottish politics has changed - the honeymoon is over."
Jim Murphy, Scottish Secretary
"I am very happy this morning because the people of Fife have put their faith in Labour again. It was a dreadful result for the SNP and an embarrassment for the Conservatives.
"Everyone knows there is an economic storm sweeping the globe. The people yesterday put their faith in God and Brown. And it is a real personal tribute to the work that he has been doing."
Nicola Sturgeon, SNP Deputy leader
"I readily concede that this was a disappointing result for the SNP. We are very disappointed not to have won the seat.
"We recorded a 5 per cent swing... there was substantial progress for the SNP last night.
"Labour ran a campaign that was incredibly negative, incredibly misleading."
