'You can see the decline' Rutherglen voters hope whoever wins byelection focuses on cost of living

Burnside - an affluent neighbourhood of Rutherglen - enjoys a "pleasant village feel" according to the local estate agent, with a cluster of bustling cafes, dry-cleaners and independent retailers backing on to a grid of stone-fronted terraces with well-kept gardens.

- Libby Brooks

This was the place visited by the disgraced former MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Margaret Ferrier, in late September 2020 - the same day she took a Covid test that subsequently proved positive.

On a sunny morning three years later, with Ferrier finally ousted by her constituents and a byelection looming, the gift shop she visited and dragged unwillingly into the headlines is now run by Fiona Murray, who quit her job in finance to take over the business after the Ferrier furore.

"We had a lot of local support," said Murray, "so shoppers have come back. But regardless of political opinion, you won't find many who supported her staying on, given the impact that Covid had on businesses round here, and her still getting paid."

With the byelection confirmed for 5 October, it is striking how sharp the anger towards Ferrier's behaviour has remained. And while both Scottish Labour and the Scottish National party consider the vote to be a crucial test in advance of the next general election, many residents exhibit a creeping disillusionment with all politicians.

Almost everyone refers to cost of living constraints. "Our customers are struggling all the time with the cost of things," said Murray. "Their fixed rates are coming to an end and mortgages are going up. There are quite a few empty units along here because the rents are so high."