Following Labour successfully holding the Westminster seat of Glenrothes, the SNP has claimed it "substantially cut" the party's majority while also accusing it of negative campaigning.

The by-election followed the death of much-respected Labour MP John MacDougall in August, and had been seen as a close contest after Labour lost Glasgow East to the SNP in July.

Indeed, the early predictions – and some media reports – suggested the SNP was on course for a slim majority of 1,000 or so. However, at the final count Labour candidate Lindsay Roy was elected with a comfortable 6,737 vote majority.

First Minister Alex Salmond praised the "excellent" SNP candidate Peter Grant for the "positive achievement" of a five per cent swing against Labour. He also attacked "an entirely negative campaign on local issues from the Labour Party", claiming the party was "misleading" on council provision of home care services.

"The home care issue is something which applies to 30 out of 32 councils in Scotland, and virtually every Labour one, but they were successful in portraying this as something unique to Fife," he added.

"This is not a tactic which will be effective in other elections in other areas. We will be back to take these seats in other contests."

Roy praised the role of the Prime Minister in the success, saying: "With Gordon Brown, Britain is strong. With Gordon Brown, Labour has won here in Glenrothes and central Fife."

Brown broke with prime ministerial convention by campaigning in the seat, while his wife also made several appearances to try and avert an SNP victory, which had been seen as potentially disastrous for the Prime Minister's leadership.