Scottish Labour increase Glasgow City Council vote share after winning by-election in Malcolm Cunning seat

Scottish Labour have increased their vote share in a Glasgow City Council by-election triggered by the death of the party’s former leader in the city.

Malcolm Cunning died in September, prompting tributes from across the political spectrum and sparking a by-election for the vacant seat in his Linn ward in the south of the city.

Labour candidate John Carson held the seat for his party, increasing its vote share by some 11.4 per cent from the May council elections, with 2,227 votes.

The SNP’s Chris Lang-Tait came in second with 1,702 votes, while Jen Bell of the Scottish Greens was third with 409 votes.

The by-election was held after Scottish Labour's Malcolm Cunning died in September

The turnout for the election was just 23.3 per cent of constituents.

Despite the win, Labour remain one seat behind the SNP administration in Scotland’s largest city.

Mr Cunning, who first joined Labour in the late 1970s and was originally elected as a councillor in 2003, had fought for the leadership of Scotland’s biggest city as recently as May this year.