Scottish Conservatives claim Aberdeen South as SNP vote collapses

The Conservatives have won a “seismic” victory in the Aberdeen South council by-election, while the SNP held their Arbroath and Broughty Ferry seat.

Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden claimed the seat held by former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn after securing 14,308 votes.

New SNP MP Lara Bird – a lawyer and SNP adviser – has been elected in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, winning 9,802 votes in Thursday’s contest, with Reform’s Bill Reid second with 4,841.

In his victory speech, newly-elected MP Mr Lumsden said the people of Aberdeen had spoken “loud and clear” that the “destruction of the North Sea oil and has industry must stop now”.

He added: “We said at the start of this campaign that it is a referendum on the oil and gas industry and the people of Aberdeen have give a resounding answer that we back the oil and gas industry.”

On a 38% turnout in the seat, Mr Lumsden won 14,308 votes, with the SNP’s share dropping from 15,213 in 2024 to just 8,258 in Thursday’s by-election.

“I’m looking forward to getting down to Westminster and really banging the drum for Aberdeen and the oil and gas industry”, he added.

“Labour have got to take note – this is a seismic victory tonight and they have got to change course on oil and gas, they’ve got to change course on energy.

“We need to have new licences, we need to scrap the (energy profits levy), we need to save those jobs.”

With Mr Lumsden’s substantial victory – the first Scottish by-election win since 1967 – comes as the former holder of the seat Stephen Flynn voiced his disquiet about the party’s campaign.

Posting on X after the SNP conceded defeat in the contest, Mr Flynn said: “A tough night in Aberdeen that some will need to reflect on, quite heavily.”

He added: “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.”

A senior party source also hit out at the SNP’s stance on oil and gas – a key issue in a city which has been dubbed as the oil and gas capital of Europe – suggesting voters do not understand the party’s energy policy or view it as “weak”.

Also posting on X, First Minister John Swinney said he was “very disappointed” with the result.

“Very disappointed with the result in Aberdeen South, @theSNP vote remains strong but it is clear that tactical voting has had a real impact on the result,” he said, congratulating Mr Lumsden and praising the efforts of SNP candidate Richard Thomson.

Speaking to journalists after the result, Mr Thomson said the Tories had “thrown the kitchen sink” at the campaign.

“We like not to be out-campaigned, but on this occasion, I think, just the sheer amount of resources that we were up against made it difficult to get the result we’d hoped for,” he said.

The guilty plea of former SNP chief executive – and Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband – Peter Murrell did not “make a bit of difference” to the party’s fortunes in Thursday’s poll, he added.

“If anybody raised it, it was usually an indication that they weren’t voting SNP anyway.

“I think any votes that were decided by that were decided a long, long time ago.”

Lara Bird won Arbroath and Broughty Ferry for the SNP STV News

New SNP MP Lara Bird said her win in the Arbroath and Broughty by-election demonstrated that the “community is inclusive”.

The party held the seat which was up for grabs after it was vacated by Stephen Gethins who quit Westminster for Holyrood.

Ms Bird is a qualified barrister and is now studying part-time at King’s College London while she lives in Broughty Ferry.

In her victory speech she said: “The people of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry have rejected the politics of division and hate.

“We have demonstrated that our community is inclusive, hopeful, and proud, and that while there are challenges that we must face, we will face them together and not allow others to turn us against each other.”

Although Ms Bird got 9,802 votes there was a 3.1% swing to Reform whose candidate Bill Reid came second with 4,841 votes.

The turnout for the by-election was 31.36%, down from just under 58% at the 2024 general election.

The votes coincide with the Makerfield by-election in Greater Manchester.

Andy Burnham said Labour had a “final chance to change” after his decisive win in the Makerfield by-election set up a showdown with Sir Keir Starmer.

Allies of Mr Burnham called on the Prime Minister to hand over power after he defied national trends to increase Labour’s share of the vote in a seat where Nigel Farage’s Reform UK made sweeping gains in last month’s local elections.

The Prime Minister, who has insisted he will not quit and will fight any leadership challenge, praised his rival’s victory, writing on social media: “Congratulations, @AndyBurnhamGM, Labour’s new MP for Makerfield. Voters chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate.”

The results for all three contests were declared in the early hours of Friday.

The by-elections were triggered when the former SNP MPs in the seats, Stephen Flynn in Aberdeen South and Stephen Gethins in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, were elected to the Scottish Parliament on May 7.

The law does not allow people to hold seats in the Parliament and in the House of Commons simultaneously.

The campaign for Aberdeen South became a battle over the future of oil and gas, with the Conservatives, Reform and the SNP vying to persuade those in the city – dubbed the energy capital of Europe – they support the industry the most.