The Conservatives have claimed their first by-election gain in Scotland since 1967 as the SNP vote collapsed. Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden won the seat previously held by former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, who acknowledged that some in his party will need to “reflect” on the result.
On a 38% turnout, Mr Lumsden secured 14,308 votes, while the SNP's share plummeted from 15,213 in 2024 to just 8,258 in Thursday’s by-election. In his victory speech, the newly-elected MP declared that the people of Aberdeen had spoken “loud and clear” that the “destruction of the North Sea oil and gas 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 given a resounding answer that we back the oil and gas industry.”
Posting on X after the SNP conceded defeat, Mr Flynn said, “A tough night in Aberdeen that some will need to reflect on, quite heavily.” He noted that the party lost Aberdeen South to the Tories in 2017 but won it back two years later, expressing confidence that they could do so again “if we get things right.”
A senior SNP source criticised the party’s stance on oil and gas, a key issue in the city known as the oil and gas capital of Europe, suggesting voters either do not understand the party’s energy policy or view it as “weak.” Party leader John Swinney has advocated for “climate compatibility tests” on new drilling, but his government has yet to finalise its stance by publishing a final energy strategy.
SNP candidate Richard Thomson told journalists that 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. Thomson added that the guilty plea of former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell did not “make a bit of difference” to the party’s fortunes, as any voters influenced by that had made up their minds “a long, long time ago.” He also criticised broadcast media for focusing more on the Makerfield by-election in north-west England.
The SNP did hold onto Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, where Lara Bird won with 9,802 votes, ahead of Reform’s Bill Reid with 4,841. Ms Bird, a lawyer and SNP adviser, took the seat vacated by Stephen Gethins, who, like Mr Flynn, left Westminster for Holyrood.
