Voters go to polls in by-election
Voters in Glasgow East are going to the polls in a crunch by-election where defeat could spell disaster for Labour.
The party is defending a majority of 13,507 in the seat in its traditional Scottish heartlands.
The rising cost of living - in particular, fuel, energy and food prices - have loomed large over the campaign.
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has claimed it is the first by-election for 20 years where the cost of living has been a dominant issue.
And right from the start he said his party was set to pull off a "political earthquake".
The Scottish National Party would need a swing of 22% to achieve that - but if they did the result would raise questions over the future of Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The by-election in Glasgow East was triggered by the resignation on health grounds of sitting Labour MP David Marshall.
Labour's Margaret Curran, a former Holyrood minister who represents part of the area as an MSP, is up against the SNP's John Mason, a Glasgow councillor.
In all, nine candidates are contesting the Glasgow East by-election.
They are: Davena Rankin (Conservative); Margaret Curran (Labour); Ian Robertson (Liberal Democrat); John Mason (Scottish National Party); Eileen Duke (Green); Hamish Howitt (Freedom-4-Choice); Chris Creighton (Independent); Tricia McLeish (Solidarity), and Frances Curran (Scottish Socialist Party).
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2008, All Rights Reserved.
The full article contains 245 words and appears in Press Association newspaper.
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Last Updated:
24 July 2008 4:53 PM
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Source:
Press Association
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Location:
The Press Association Newsdesk
