SCOTLAND has been left stunned after Labour installed an old branch office crony as their candidate for a crucial by-election.
David Russell will be Labour’s candidate for the upcoming Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, which is being held on June 5 after the sad death of Christina McKelvie.
He’s well in with the top dogs of Scottish Labour, having been pals with some of the key players at the fag end of their reign in Glasgow.
Russell, a former business partner of Rangers supremo Barry Ferguson and Anas Sarwar's brother Asim, worked as the council’s head of operational services which included responsibility for the city’s roads and bins.
In a ringing endorsement, a Labour insider told us that complaints during his time at the helm were no more than usual – which is to say a lot – and that any claims they were higher than normal were “fake news”.
Here's Labour's candidate for the Hamilton by-election, David Russell, watching Rangers play at Ibrox alongside Frank McAveety and George Redmond pic.twitter.com/Fx1uuFfQDo
— Hamish Morrison (@HMorrison97) April 16, 2025
Whatever his record was in running the decidedly unglamorous parts of the council, Russell’s contacts can hardly have hurt him when seeking selection for the seat.
So pally with the good and the great of Glasgow Labour is Russell that he was pictured alongside then-council leader Frank McAveety (who has been charged with electoral fraud) and George Redmond (who’s stepping down as group leader after three years) enjoying a Rangers game at Ibrox in 2015.
An SNP source said: “The irony of Davy Russell being Labour's new direction won't be lost on those in Glasgow who have always known him to be part of the old Labour crony cabal.
“When he was a senior manager at Glasgow, the waste collections and cleansing he was in charge of faced serious public complaints.
“So if it's not his record in running a council department which makes him a suitable candidate, one can only wonder why Labour has picked him for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.”
