Fife by-election: SNP celebrate victory as Reform push Labour into third place

Caldwell polled 1594 votes, sparking an immediate shift in the balance of power on the local Levenmouth area committee, but it was the performance of ReformUK which will be analysed in much greater depth.

While Nigel Farage’s party failed to make the breakthrough with a first electoral victory in Scotland, candidate Mark Davies polled 1080 votes - well ahead of Labour’s Donna Donnelly who saw her party’s vote slump to just 778. In 2022, Graham polled 1200 votes to finish second to Ken Caldwell, husband of the local authority’s newest councillor.

There will be debate over whether his toxic legacy played a part in Labour’s defeat, but one political observer pointed the finger at Downing Street, stating: “Keir Starmer is more unpopular here than Margaret Thatcher.”

Mr Davies, who served for 25 years in the British Army with operational tours in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone and then worked for 15 years as a civil servant with the Ministry of Defence, saw his campaign bolstered by visits from Reform party activists across Scotland in a bid to win the seat.

While they fell short, it will give them a springboard into a second by-election in Fife which takes place in January following Julie Ford’s decision to stand down after a decade as an SNP councillor for the Glenrothes West and Kinglassie ward.

The win took the SNP’s total number of councillors in Fife to 35, but they remain in opposition, with Labour’s 18 elected members running a minority administration.

Reform and the SNP were also the only two parties to secure four-figure votes in a turnout of 27% - the night was a washout for the other parties. Jill Reilly got just 99 votes for the Lib Dems, while Alba’s Christine Agnes saw her party take just 83 votes. There was worse news for the Tories whose candidate, Brian Mills - standing in the ward for a second time - got just 64, with Kieiran Anderson was seventh on 45 for the Sovereignty Party.

Speaking after her election, Anne Marie said: “Too often politicians or candidates make promises they can;t keep or claims that are demonstrably untrue, and that results in an erosion of trust - something all who believe in democracy must challenge. During this campaign, I committed only to what I can realistically achieve for the residents of this ward, and I am determined to deliver on those commitments with my colleagues across Levenmouth which will seen be under new leadership.”

Cllr Caldwell was one of several locals who stood in the election.

She has lived in Methilhill for most of her life, and been heavily involved in a number of community organisations across the ward. Her background is in education, having designed and delivered training for those working with dyslexic children.

> Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages by-election

Turnout was 27.3%

Total number of ballot papers - 3,774

Anne Marie Caldwell (SNP) 1594

Mark Davies (ReformUK) 1080

Donna Donnelly (Labour) 778

Jill Reilly (Lib Dems) 99

Christine Watson (Alba) 83

Brian Mills (Conservative) 64

Kieran Anderson (Sovereignty) 45