Conservatives give SNP a bloody nose in Aberdeen South by-election – as cabinet
The Scottish Conservatives have thrashed the SNP in the Aberdeen South byelection.
In an historic victory, the Tories came from third place to beat the SNP by more than 6,000 votes after doubling their vote share to 50 per cent.
It was the first Conservative gain in a Westminster byelection in Scotland since Glasgow Pollok in 1967.
Support for Labour, Reform UK and the Scottish Liberal Democrats fell as people voted tactically for the Tories in a de facto local referendum on North Sea oil and gas.
The Tories had hammered the message that only they could be trusted to support the sector, which is currently losing around 1,000 jobs a month.
The landslide was a humiliation for John Swinney in his first electoral test for the SNP since the Peter Murrell scandal exploded in shocking detail.
The First Minister said he was ‘very disappointed’ with the result.
It produced an immediate row within the party, as economy secretary Stephen Flynn, whose move to Holyrood triggered the byelection, lashed out at colleagues.
Scottish Conservative Party candidate Douglas Lumsden (right) watches as votes are counted for the Aberdeen South by-election
SNP candidate Richard Gordon Thomson is pictured during the vote count in Aberdeen
‘A tough night in Aberdeen that some will need to reflect on, quite heavily,’ he wrote on X.
Mr Flynn has been one of the SNP’s most vocal supporters of the oil and gas sector.
Speaking after the result was declared shortly before 2am, new Tory MP Douglas Lumsden said: ‘The people of Aberdeen has spoken loud and clear.
‘We stopped the SNP and sent Labour the message that the destruction of the North Sea oil and gas industry must stop now.
‘To everyone at Aberdeen that put their trust in me, thank you.
‘I share your anger, I share your frustration, and I share your fears for the future.
‘And I promise that I will be a strong voice for this city, standing up for you, your families, and your livelihoods against short and excited policies.’
He thanked Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay and UK leader Kemi Badenoch for their support throughout a gruelling campaign.
Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s former leader in Westminster and current Holyrood cabinet secretary, said it was a ‘tough night’ for the party
He said: ‘A big part of this election victory belongs to Kemi.
‘She understands that we need the North Sea for our prosperity and energy security, and our commitment to my campaign and the people of Aberdeen has been nothing short of exceptional.’
‘What has been made clear here tonight is that the Labour and the SNP governments must act to end the wilful destruction of the energy industry.’
The Nationalists had entered the contest defending a majority of almost 4,000.
Bruised after losing most of their MSPs at last month’s Holyrood election, the party threw everything at Aberdeen South in a first step at recovery.
UK leader Kemi Badenoch was a repeat visitor, warning it was ‘madness’ to rule out new drilling in UK waters while relying on costly and more polluting imports instead.
The efforts paid off as Mr Lumsden defeated the SNP’s Richard Thomson by 6,050 votes.
Reform UK’s Jo Hart was third, while Labour’s Nurul Hoque Ali was fourth.
The loss is a humiliation for John Swinney (left). The by-election was his first electoral test since the Peter Murrell scandal exploded in shocking detail
Turnout was 38.1 per cent, down from 59.9 per cent at the 2024 general election.
The Tory vote share surged from 24.4 per cent to 50 per cent, while the SNP’s fell from 32.8 per cent to 28.6, and Labour’s collapsed from 24.7 to just 5.4 per cent.
Reform barely improved from 6.9 to 8.6 per cent, the LibDems fell from 6.3 to 4.4 per cent and lost their deposit, while the Greens slipped from 3.5 to 3.4 per cent.
Writing on X, Mr Swinney said: ‘Very disappointed with the result in Aberdeen South, the SNP vote remains strong but it is clear that tactical voting has had a real impact on the result. Congratulations to Douglas Lumsden.
‘Well done to Richard Thomson and his dedicated team for their efforts.’Mr Thomson said: ‘The Conservatives threw the kitchen sink at this. I think just the sheer amount of that we were up against made it difficult for us to get the result that we hoped for.
‘We found it quite difficult to compete against the tidal wave of resources that were thrown at this particular seat.’
The byelection was triggered by Mr Flynn, the former SNP Westminster leader, switching to Holyrood at last month’s election, forcing him to give up his Commons seat.
At the 2024 general election, he held the seat with a majority of 3,758 over Labour, with the Tories 155 votes behind.
Mr Flynn won his Holyrood seat of Aberdeen Deeside thanks to Reform UK splitting the anti-Nationalist vote – their 6,113 votes dwarfing the SNP lead of just 1,244.
The Conservatives used their painful defeat in Aberdeen Deeside to warn voters against making the same mistake in Aberdeen South and ending up with ‘buyer’s remorse’.
Mr Lumsden will now have to give up his Holyrood seat as a North East list MSP.
Aberdeenshire Councillor James Adams, who was the party’s candidate in Banffshire and Buchan Coast at the Holyrood election, will become a Tory list MSP in his place.
Mr Lumsden’s win increases the number of Scottish Tory MPs to six.
As well as the focus on oil and gas, the byelection was fought against a backdrop of scandal.
During the campaign, ex-SNP chief executive Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from party funds between 2010 and 2012 while married to Nicola Sturgeon.
For most of the period, Ms Sturgeon was also First Minister.
The SNP held on in the other Scottish byelection of the night.
Lara Bird became the new MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry after increasing her party’s majority from 859 to 5,278.
SNP MSP Stephen Flynn wrote on X in the early hours of Friday: ‘A tough night in Aberdeen that some will need to reflect on, quite heavily.
‘Commiserations to my good friend Richard Thomson – a great man and colleague.
‘Congratulations [Conservative Party candidate] Douglas Lumsden to I know he loves this city as much as I do, and I look forward to working with him.
‘We lost Aberdeen South to the Tories in 2017, and we won it back two years later. I’ve no doubt that we can do so again. If we get things right.’
Effectively conceding defeat, Aberdeen Central MSP Jack Middleton told Sky News earlier on Thursday evening: ‘It looks like the Tories’ night. We’ll win it back in 2029.’
Early indications had suggested support for Labour and Reform UK – who came second and fourth at the 2024 general election – has collapsed.
A Green source said the Tories had thrashed the SNP in the seat’s affluent suburbs which are home to many workers whose jobs rely on North Sea drilling.
The SNP’s loss marks a humiliation for John Swinney in his first electoral test since the Peter Murrell scandal exploded in shocking detail.
Bruised after losing most of their MSPs at last month’s Holyrood election, the Tories threw everything at Aberdeen South in a first step at recovery.
The party tried to turn the race into a local referendum on the oil and gas industry, claiming only they could be trusted with the future of the North Sea.
UK leader Kemi Badenoch was a repeat visitor, warning it was ‘madness’ to rule out new drilling in UK waters while relying on costly and more polluting imports instead.
As well as the focus on oil and gas, the byelection was fought against a backdrop of scandal.
As well as the focus on oil and gas, the by-election was fought against a backdrop of scandal.
During the campaign, ex-SNP chief executive Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from party funds between 2010 and 2012 while married to Nicola Sturgeon.
For most of the period, Ms Sturgeon was also First Minister.
Murrell bought hundreds of luxury items using money from the SNP’s main bank account, including Montblanc pens, designer watches, cars and a £124,000 camper van.
Despite a stream of deliveries to the couple’s marital home near Glasgow, Ms Sturgeon has denied knowing or suspecting any wrongdoing by her now estranged husband.
Mr Swinney has refused to hold an inquiry into how Murrell was able to steal for so long, claiming the long-running police investigation that led to his conviction is enough.
The byelection was triggered by former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn switching to Holyrood at last month’s election, forcing him to give up his Commons seat.
At the 2024 general election, he held the seat with a majority of 3,758 over Labour, with the Tories 155 votes behind.
Mr Flynn won his Holyrood seat of Aberdeen Deeside thanks to Reform UK splitting the anti-Nationalist vote – their 6,113 votes dwarfing the SNP lead of just 1,244.
The Conservatives used their painful defeat in Aberdeen Deeside to warn voters against making the same mistake in Aberdeen South and ending up with ‘buyer’s remorse’.
Elsewhere, the SNP has held the constituency of Broughty Ferry and Arbroath, where MP Stephen Gethins stood down after being elected to the Scottish Parliament. He has been replaced by Lara Bird.