Labour loses dominant presence in Glasgow

Scottish Labour lost overall control of Glasgow to break more than 30 years of the party’s local dominance in the city.

Its leader Kezia Dugdale said the result, which marks a new low in Labour’s decline in its traditional heartlands, was “disappointing, but not particularly a surprise”.

The party also lost an overall majority in West Dunbartonshire, slumped to third in Edinburgh and is no longer the biggest party in Fife or Aberdeen, as its councillor total was slashed by 133 on five years ago.

But Ms Dugdale pointed to Labour topping the table in Inverclyde, East Lothian, Midlothian and North Ayrshire as positives from the election.

Ms Dugdale said: “This is obviously a disappointing election for Labour, but thousands of people in communities across Scotland have placed their trust in us and we will continue to play a major role in local government.

“We have won against the odds in East Lothian and Inverclyde, gained Midlothian from the SNP, and tied with the SNP in North Ayrshire.

“Across Scotland, there has been a clear backlash against the SNP’s plans for a divisive second independence referendum and anger over the SNP’s woeful record running our schools, hospitals and public services.

“The SNP’s number one priority at this election was an overall majority in Glasgow, but Nicola Sturgeon’s party has clearly fallen back significantly from the results in 2015 and 2016 in our largest city and in other communities across Scotland.”

The SNP’s hopes of seizing overall control of Glasgow did not come to bear, and it is likely they will look to the Greens for support.

The city will be ruled for the first time by the Nationalists at local level, who finished four seats shy of an overall majority.

Susan Aitken, who is on course to become new leader of the council, said the party would look at its options over the coming days, but stopped short of ruling out a minority administration.

Nicola Sturgeon put “ending 40 years of Labour control of Glasgow City Council” at the centrepiece of a “fantastic victory” for the SNP.

Responding to suggestions not seizing overall control of Scotland’s most populous city is a disappointment, the SNP leader replied: “Majorities are the exception and not the rule.

“What we set out to do was win Glasgow and we have won Glasgow.”