SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY ENDS YEAR ON ELECTION HIGH

SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY ENDS YEAR ON ELECTION HIGH

SNP ENDS YEAR ON ELECTION HIGH

COMBINED LOCAL BY-ELECTION VOTE SHOWS 5.5% SWING TO SNP

SNP SUCCESS IN 2009 WILL STOP LABOUR CUTS IN THEIR TRACKS

With the SNP ending the year with a resounding by-election victory in North Ayrshire, an analysis of all 12 Scottish local by-elections held in 2008 shows that the SNP increasing its support at the expense of Labour.

Nearly 42,000 votes have been cast in local by-elections in 2008 – and the SNP not only tops the poll but has increased its share of the vote and overtaken Labour.

1. The total votes, percentages and percentage changes for all by-elections since May 2007 is as follows:

The analysis comes on the week the SNP achieved a sensational by-election win in the Kilbirnie & Beith ward of North Ayrshire where the SNP enjoyed a 15% swing from the Labour Party.

Kilbirnie & Beith was a seat which hosts the main office of the local Labour MP and two Labour clubs.

The SNP vote rose from 23% in May 2007 to 49% today whilst Labour fell back to 34%. Last year, even as the SNP won Cunninghame North by 48 votes, it was a massive 831 votes (14.68%) behind Labour in Kilbirnie and Beith, Labour's strongest area in the constituency.

Commenting on the analysis SNP Business Convener and Westminster Party Leader Angus Robertson MP said:

"These are fantastic figures for the SNP, rounding of a fantastic year of success and achievement. May 2007 was a historic high point for the SNP with our best ever national result yet. To increase that success with such a solid swing from Labour shows that SNP support is still growing, even from that high point.

"AND SNP SUCCESS – IN NEXT YEAR'S EUROPEAN ELECTIONS, AND IN THE GENERAL ELECTION TO COME – WILL STOP LABOUR'S PLANNED £1 BILLION CUTS TO SCOTLAND'S BUDGET IN THEIR TRACKS.

"Kilbirnie & Beith was an excellent result for the SNP. To achieve such an outstanding swing to the SNP in what was seen as one of Labour's strongholds will be seen as a devastating defeat to Labour in North Ayrshire.

"With Downing Street's downturn starting to bite voters in Scotland are obviously now having serious doubts about Labour's claims to represent ordinary people and they are putting their trust in the SNP as the best party to see them through these times.

"The SNP has increased its support because our Government is delivering a range of SNP policies like freezing the Council Tax, cutting business rates, restoring free education, and the phased abolition of prescription charges.