Anti Labour by election swing would give Liberal Democrats Glasgow North

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 23rd May 2008

If the anti Labour swing in the Crewe and Nantwich by election were replicated at the next General Election, the Liberal Democrats would win the Westminster seat of Glasgow North.

Liberal Democrats in Glasgow North were only 3,338 votes behind Labour at the last General Election in 2005 and only require an anti Labour swing of 6%.

Today's result in Crewe and Nantwich was a 7.1% swing from Labour to the Liberal Democrats. While the Tories won Crewe and Nantwich, they have no significant presence in Scotland with no David Cameron effect.

Katy Gordon, Liberal Democrat Westminster Parliamentary Spokesperson for Glasgow North, said:

"The anti Labour vote in Crewe and Nantwich is huge. It is clear that people are turning away from Labour in massive numbers. People are unhappy at the direction of the government and particularly their taxation policies. Despite Gordon Brown's by election bribe to try and get back the support he lost over the abolition of the 10p tax rate, Labour lost by a huge margin.

In Glasgow North, the Liberal Democrats are best placed to win the seat at the next election. Only yesterday I was speaking to former Labour voters in the constituency who told me they couldn't face voting Labour next time thanks to their taxation policies and attitude to civil liberties."

Ends

Notes to editors:

1. Katy Gordon is the Scottish Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson for Glasgow North

2. Glasgow North result at the 2005 General Election was Labour 11,001 (39%), Liberal Democrats 7,663 (27.4%), SNP 3,614 (12.9%), Conservative 2,441 (8.7%), Other 3,202 (11.5%). Majority 3,338 (12%)