Key facts
- Scottish Conservatives won the Aberdeen South by-election, defeating the SNP.
- The win is the first Conservative gain in a Scottish by-election since 1967.
- The campaign focused on oil and gas drilling restrictions.
- Douglas Lumsden will resign from the Scottish Parliament due to dual mandate rules.
- The SNP also won the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election.
The Scottish Conservatives have secured a significant victory in the Aberdeen South by-election, unseating the Scottish National Party (SNP) in a result described as a shock loss for the nationalists. The Conservative campaign focused on issues related to oil and gas drilling restrictions, a key concern for voters in the region.
This win marks the first time the Conservatives have gained a Westminster seat in Scotland through a by-election since 1967. Douglas Lumsden, the Conservative candidate, defeated SNP candidate Richard Thomson by a margin of over 6,000 votes. Lumsden, who is also a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), will have to resign his Holyrood seat due to the ban on dual mandates.
Kemi Badenoch, a senior Conservative figure, hailed the victory as having national significance, particularly for the oil and gas sector, and sent a message to the Labour government and the SNP. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay called it a 'sensational victory' and a 'referendum on oil and gas'. First Minister John Swinney acknowledged the SNP's loss, attributing it to the Conservatives' campaign on issues affecting the oil and gas sector.
The by-election was triggered when the incumbent SNP MP, Stephen Flynn, resigned his Westminster seat to take up a position in the Scottish Parliament. Flynn expressed confidence that the SNP could win the seat back in the future. Meanwhile, the SNP did secure a victory in the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election, with Lara Bird holding the seat for the party.
The SNP's defeat comes weeks after the party was affected by a scandal involving former chief executive Peter Murrell, who admitted to embezzling party funds. Greenpeace UK cautioned against 'false promises' from the Conservatives regarding the future of the oil and gas industry.