Labour retained their seat in the Maryhill council by-election, with Marie Garrity taking the Maryhill Ward. Reform UK came third after the SNP, taking 12.7 percent of first-preference votes compared to the Greens’ 12.1 percent.
Ellie Gommersall, the 24-year-old Green candidate and former president of NUS Scotland, framed their campaign around gaining a foothold for the Greens in Maryhill, rather than winning. They had hoped to provide an alternative for Labour or the SNP. Their main issues included improving waste and recycling, and bigger investment in Maryhill tenements.
David McGowan, a postman from Glasgow, was the Reform UK candidate in the by-election. His campaign centred around not being a politician, but his passion for wanting better for the community. This included more funding for schools, improved litter management, and better social housing.
This result comes after Reform UK came third in the popular vote in the July General Election, winning 14% of all votes. A rebrand of The Brexit Party, founded in 2018, Reform UK’s main policies include freezing immigration and restoring law and order.
Dr. Ewan Gibbs of the University of Glasgow took to Twitter/X to say, “Whilst party activists will take the wins they can get, there’s also a missing the wood for the trees story here. As it stands there is likely to be a far-right MSPs group in Holyrood soon…Reform are polling pretty well across Scotland.”
Ellie Gommersall told The Bell, “People see Reform as a rejection of the status quo. The Greens should be that too, but because of the Bute House agreement, we’re seen as the party of government.”
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