As in the by-election in the neighbouring seat of Paisley North held on the same day, the SNP saw a healthy increase in their share of the vote, but not enough to win, and the Labour Party retained the seat, with Gordon McMaster emerging as the victor.
The by-election was the first parliamentary election to take place under the premiership of John Major, who had succeeded Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister just two days earlier. Although the change of party leader sparked an almost instant upswing in Conservative support (which had been declining for the previous 18 months largely due to the poll tax) and ultimately saw them win the 1992 general election with their highest number of votes on record, the Tories failed to take advantage of this by-election; polling at a mere 13.4% and failing to alter the political climate in a traditional Labour stronghold.
