London, Nov.13 (ANI): British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has got a much needed popularity ratings boost with his Labour Party securing a huge victory in the Glasgow North East by-election on Thursday.

Willie Bain, the Labour candidate, won the seat by more than 8,000 votes from David Kerr, the Scottish National Party challenger, and claimed the result was also a rejection of Conservative leader David Cameron.

But the downside of the poll was that only a third of the electorate chose to cast their ballots. This is said to be the lowest proportion ever in a Scottish by-election.

Bain was a clear favourite to win the contest, but the scale of his victory, taking 59 per cent of the popular vote, was a surprise when the result was announced at the Scottish Exhibition Centre early on Friday.

Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, said the result was "humiliating" for Cameron, who appeared on much of the Tories' election literature, and the seven other members of the shadow Cabinet who campaigned.

But the Conservatives said the real loser was the SNP and its leader Alex Salmond, who has set his party a target of winning 20 Westminster seats at the general election. (ANI)