Scottish Conservatives win Aberdeen South, ousting SNP | Scottish politics
The Scottish National Party (SNP) has lost the formerly safe seat of Aberdeen South in a shock loss to the Scottish Conservatives.
The Scottish Conservatives’ Douglas Lumsden defeated the SNP’s Richard Thomson by 6,050 votes, leaving the SNP with a margin of 14.69%. The Conservative Party’s vote rate was 49.51 percent. Lumsden’s vote count was 14,308, Thomson’s 8,258.
Reform’s Jo Hart came in third place with 2,478 votes. Turnout was only 38 percent.
In his victory speech, Lumsden said the city’s people had said “loudly and clearly” that “the destruction of the North Sea oil and gas industry must stop now”.
He added: “We said at the beginning of this campaign that this was a referendum on the oil and gas industry and the people of Aberdeen responded strongly that we support the oil and gas industry.”
The Conservatives have devoted significant resources to the contest, with UK party leader Kemi Badenoch visiting the constituency three times and turning it into a fight over increased oil and gas production in the North Sea.
The SNP retained Arbroath and Broughty Ferry in a separate by-election, with Lara Bird taking the seat vacated by Stephen Gethins, who left Westminster for Holyrood.
The SNP’s Stephen Flynn, who gave up his Aberdeen South seat to take a seat at Holyrood, wrote on social media: “A tough night for some in Aberdeen to reflect on.”
He added: “We lost Aberdeen South to the Tories in 2017 and won it back two years later. I have no doubt we can do it again. If we do things right.”
By-elections were called after Flynn resigned in May to take a seat in the Scottish parliament. The law does not allow people to hold seats in the Scottish parliament and the House of Commons at the same time.
He held Aberdeen South with a majority of 3,758 votes at the 2024 general election.
The SNP’s defeat shows some voters are rebelling against the party over Peter Murrell’s theft of £400,000 worth of party funds while he was chief executive and married to former prime minister Nicola Sturgeon.
