EXCLUSIVE: The Deputy Prime Minister launched an attack on Reform and dismissed claims the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election is a two-horse race between the SNP and Nigel Farage’s right wing party.
Angela Rayner has accused Nigel Farage’s Reform of the “politics of hatred” as she insisted Labour will win a bitter Holyrood by-election.
Labour’s deputy prime minister accused Reform of running a “disgusting” campaign and blasted critics of party candidate Davy Russell as “classist”.
Rayner, who left school at 16 after becoming pregnant, compared criticism of him to the snobs who mocked her when she entered Parliament: “People underestimated me. People are underestimating Davy.”
Voters will elect a new MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse on June 5th after one of the ugliest campaigns in living memory.
The contest has been dominated by a Reform UK advert which claimed Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar will “prioritise” Pakistani communities.
First Minister John Swinney even declared this week that the by-election is now a two horse race between the SNP and Reform after writing off Labour.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer blasts Nigel Farage for bringing ‘poison’ to Hamilton by-election campaignREAD MORE: John Swinney says Hamilton by-election is ‘straight contest’ between SNP and Reform UK as he makes plea to Labour voters
In an interview with the Record, Rayner said of the Swinney claim: “I think that’s rubbish. I think we are really close here and it’s only Labour that can win this seat.”
“I have been out on the doors. [People] are incredibly enthusiastic.”
She said of the Reform ad that Sarwar said was “blatantly” racist: “I find it disgusting but I think the Scottish people will make that decision as well and I think they will reject it because that’s not the way we are in Scotland. That’s certainly not been my experience.
“People pull together in times of difficulties and we don’t have nastiness and vileness in that way. That’s not the way to run a campaign and it’s certainly not the way to win in Scotland.”
Rayner, who is to the Left of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said of Reform’s politics: “It’s politics of hatred. They try and latch on to people’s fears and then try and make people feel like there is a simple solution. There isn’t a simple solution to some of the problems we face.”
She also pointed out that Reform’s by-election hopeful, Ross Lambie, used to be a Tory: “The Reform candidate here is a Tory but with a different rosette.”
Rayner dismissed Farage, tipped to become the next Prime Minister, as a “snake oil salesman” and added: “We have got a person that will say anything to hope they can get into power.”
She contrasted Labour trying to sort out the country’s problems with claims Reform have made uncontested promises worth billions of pounds:
“Reform want to divide the country. Their economic policy is pretty much Liz Truss policy, which will blow the economy.
“We have started to see some of the benefits. Four interest rate cuts already since Labour took power. We gave a record amount of funding to Scotland.”
“I say to people – stick with Labour. We want to tackle child poverty. We want to improve people’s lives. We are doing that through our employment rights bill and we want to deliver for the people of Scotland and the only way to do that is to vote for Labour.”
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government also defended Russell over criticism he has been hiding from the media amid fears he will perform poorly.
Critics have accused him of being a “donkey” who cannot “string a handful of words together”.
Rayner, who grew up in a family on benefits, hit back: “It’s absolutely classist. People under-estimated me and look at what I am delivering. We are already making reforms to housing. We are already bringing our employment rights bill forward.”
“He’s a hard grafter and he doesn’t deserve to be treated in that way, in a classist way, but I am sure he is going to prove them all wrong.”
“It’s just a very outdated view of people from a working class background. I come from a working class background. People work really hard and they over-compensate sometimes for feeling like they are not as good as someone who possibly went to a private school.
“Working class people under promise and over deliver and I’m pretty certain that’s where Davy’s going to be.”
She also appeared to confirm speculation Labour is considering scrapping the two child benefit cap.
“Any measure that we can provide to bring down child poverty, we will do it,” she said, before adding that the move is not a “silver bullet”.
She promised Record readers the Labour Government will take child poverty as seriously as Tony Blair and Gordon Brown: “That is the mission of the Labour Government. That is our values. That’s what got me into the Labour party in the first place. I will not be the deputy prime minister that doesn’t tackle child poverty.”
Thomas Kerr, speaking on behalf of Reform said: “We’re glad that Angela Rayner’s chauffeur has managed to punch Hamilton into Google Maps, just a shame her visit was a disaster from start to finish.”
“These repeated attacks on Reform UK are nothing more than a deflection tactics from a Labour Party that is having a disastrous campaign. The candidate is in hiding, the Deputy Prime Minister was heckled away, Anas Sarwar can’t remember his candidates name and their polling has fallen through the floor.”
“Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have a choice next week – chaos with SNP and Labour or a fresh start with Reform UK.”
An SNP Spokesperson said: “It’s unclear how the Deputy Prime Minister draws her mistaken conclusion based on a five minute trip to Hamilton.
“And taking her lead from their invisible candidate, she did all she could to avoid speaking to the media altogether.
“It’s been very obvious for some time that the Labour Party has all but given up in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.
“The Labour Party is all over the place and even they know this by-election is now a two horse race between the SNP and Reform. Only the SNP can stop Farage on 5th June.”
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