The Scottish National Party has pulled off a stunning by-election victory by winning Glasgow East, one of Labour's safest seats, by 365 votes. The SNP overturned a Labour majority of 13,507 to win with a swing of 22.54%. The SNP polled 11,277 votes in the contest, while the Tories came third with 1,639 and the Lib Dems, with 915 votes, came fourth. SNP candidate John Mason said the victory was "off the Richter scale".

Voter turnout was 42.25%, down on the 48% figure at the last election, with 26,219 votes cast. The result was declared in Glasgow in the early hours of Friday, after a humiliating recount was requested by Labour, which won 10,912 votes in the contest.

Will it add to the pressure on Gordon Brown? Of course. Does it make David Cameron look a certainty as next British Prime Minister? Yes.

Scottish First Minister and SNP leader Alex Salmond said of the result: "I don't think we will see an immediate exit for Gordon Brown from Downing Street. I think it is more likely he will change policy rather than change himself." While the Prime Minister is weak and while the Opposition is gliding into power without having to show any backbone or stick its neck out at all on the key issues of our day, mice like Salmond will play - with strong government or strong opposition the likes of Salmond would be sidelined in minutes as the irrelevant gasbags they are.

One can only hope and pray that when the Tories do finally get into Downing Street they will work like they have worked before to change the country for the better and get tough both intellectually and actually.

Right now Britain needs change. Not change through the back door. Change with conflict - for therein there is real progress. There are too many apple carts full of rotten apples in Britain - the MCB, the SNP, the BNP, the Islamist sects and others. Without struggling to become Prime minister, Cameron may well undervalue and under-use the function when he attains it.

Jane Blunt is a lawyer and counter terrorism expert.

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