Glasgow North-East by-election: SNP are 'underdogs' admits First Minister

Oct 19 2009

FIRST MINISTER Alex Salmond yesterday insisted the SNP were underdogs in the Glasgow North-East by-election.

The First Minister refused to predict victory, but said: "We can win."

Salmond played down his party's chances as he launched their campaign at a community centre in Milton, Glasgow.

He boasted last year about winning the Glenrothes by-election, only for the SNP to lose to Labour and later admitted his overconfidence was a mistake.

Salmond said yesterday: "Yes, we can win. People know for the first time there is a chance of an SNP win.

"But it's a better position, on reflection, not to boast that we will win, but just to say that we can win, if the people so choose.

"We're expecting a brammer of a by-election with a monster result for the people of Glasgow North-East and the people of Scotland."

It's understood the First Minister will make fewer campaign visits to Glasgow North-East than he did in last year's Glasgow East and Glenrothes by-elections.

Labour are favourites to win the seat they have dominated for years.

SNP candidate David Kerr was forced yesterday to defend Salmond's decision to scrap the Glasgow airport rail link.

He claimed: "In the north of the city, people did not particularly know it was going ahead."