TOM Greatrex is staring at two widely different futures on the morning of Friday May 8.

When the votes are counted he could be part of a Labour Government if Ed Miliband is successful in ousting David Cameron.

As shadow energy spokesman Mr Greatrex MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West is on the up in the Labour Party.

Still in only his first term as an MP he has a shadow ministerial brief and a role in a Labour Government in some form would be assured.

The alternative is he loses the seat he won easily five years ago with a thumping majority of 21,000 and 60% of the vote and a promising career comes to an abrupt halt.

Current swing projections from Labour to the SNP would make the seat very close and leaves the MP with a serious fight on his hands.

Mr Greatrex believes once people start to think more seriously about the election and the future of the country then Labour's message will begin to get through.

He said people are worried about prices and the economy and said Labour's policies on freezing energy bills and taxing the wealthy to fund jobs and training will make a difference the lives of ordinary people.

Mr Greatrex like many others in the Labour party is highlighting the message that the only way to defeat the Tories is by voting for Labour MPs

He said: "The choice is either a Labour Prime Minister or a Conservative Prime Minister."

SNP candidate is Margaret Ferrier a sales consultant for a firm in Lanarkshire.

She joined the party in 2011 and was active in the referendum campaign in the local area yes campaign.

Ms Ferrier was unavailable to speak with the Evening Times when we tried to contact her.

The SNP will take heart from gaining a foothold in part of the constituency in the last Holyrood election.

Following a modest increase in 2010 the following year Christina McKelvie won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse seat at Holyrood, while James Kelly held the Rutherglen seat for Labour.

South Lanarkshire has another two MPs covering seats that fall within the council.

Lanark and Hamilton East held by veteran Jimmy Hood and East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow held by Michael McCann another first time MP.

Both were Labour safe seats in 2005 but on the SNP radar buoyed by the opinion poll and projected swings of more than 20%.

Further south into South Lanarkshire part of the council area is covered by Scotland's only Tory MP David Mundell in Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale.

East Kilbride has a big SNP vote and a strong base for the candidate Lisa Cameron to build on. Last time John McKenna increased the vote by 5% taking it above 10,000

Lanark and Hamilton East takes in urban and rural areas with a significant conservative vote even though the party was fourth last time it was not far behind the SNP.

The Liberal Democrats were in second place but are not expected to poll anywhere near the 8000 they won last time.

It means Angela Crawley of the SNP would need to take votes from the LibDems and Labour in enough numbers to take the seat.