Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse byelection date confirmed

The byelection for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency will take place in the first week of June.

The vacancy was created following the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie.

The serving government minister died last month after being diagnosed with secondary breast cancer.

The SNP has already announced that Katy Loudon, a local councillor, will be the party’s candidate. Other parties have yet to name their candidates.

The winner will hold the seat for less than a year before the next election, which will take place in May 2026.

McKelvie had a majority of 4,582 votes over Labour’s Monica Lennon at the last election, with the Conservatives’ Meghan Gallacher coming in a distant third.

Loudon has said she would “work tirelessly to build on Christina’s incredible legacy”.

She added: “Times are tough for a lot of people right now, but this community has so much going for it, and I’m determined that we deliver a brighter future for everyone. The SNP will continue to show the positive difference we can make when we have the powers to do so.”

The byelection will take place on Thursday 5 June with the winner to be declared the following day. The new MSP will be sworn in the week after.

McKelvie’s funeral took place last week.

A well-liked and highly-regarded MSP, tributes poured in from across the political spectrum at the news of her passing in March.