Glasgow East by-election: There are no safe Labour seats any more, says jubilant Salmond

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond said today that there were no safe Labour seats in Scotland in the wake of the SNP's victory in Glasgow East.

Mr Salmond hailed a "sensational" by-election victory for his party, with Nationalist John Mason overturning a Labour majority of 13,507.

The results would not force Prime Minister Gordon Brown into calling a General Election, Mr Salmond said.

The First Minister, speaking at a press conference at a shopping centre in the constituency, insisted that voters in Glasgow East had sent a message to Mr Brown.

He said: "That message is 'change your policy or change your job'.

"I watched Conservative Party leader David Cameron this morning. All he could think about was an imminent General Election.

"I've got bad news for David – I don't think there's going to be an imminent General Election somehow.

"What we need for the people of the country is a change of policy. We can't allow the country to drift into recession.

"We need action – action against the rising prices which are hitting family budgets, action against the energy costs, action to inject more demands into the economy.

"That's the changes that are required and that's what the SNP will be using its political influence to secure."

The First Minister said the people of Glasgow East now had an "outstanding" MP in Mr Mason.

"We have now demonstrated that there are no safe seats for the Labour Party anywhere in Scotland," he said.

Yesterday's by-election had been a "test of strength" between the Labour Government at Westminster and his Holyrood administration.

"It was London Labour that was found wanting and the SNP in Scotland that emerged victorious," said the First Minister.

He pledged that the SNP would "march to the sound of the priorities of the people of Scotland".

He continued: "If we keep doing that then we're going to take some stopping come the General Election, the Scottish elections to come and the independence referendum in 2010."

Mr Mason said that, by electing him, "the people of Glasgow East have spoken for the whole of the country".

"We have sent a message to Gordon Brown. It's time for action, time for him to listen."

The new MP called on the Prime Minister to take action to reduce the price of fuel and the cost of energy.

When asked if he would like a General Election to be called, Mr Mason said: "I think I've been elected for a purpose.

"The first purpose was to send a message to Gordon Brown. We want the Government to change direction.

"It's not about a question of who is in the Government, it's about a better behaviour on the part of the Government towards the people.

"The personal challenge for me now is to work really hard for the next 18 months or whatever it is and build up a relationship with the people of the east end."

Mr Mason went on: "They've been missing that, I would have to say, with their MP for a number of years.

"That's a new thing and I would actually like 18 months to do that."