The Conservatives have won a byelection in Scotland for the first time in 50 years, taking Aberdeen South from the Scottish National Party with a 15 per cent swing. The victory, which gave the Tories a majority of 6,050, was secured by candidate Douglas Lumsden and is seen as a significant achievement for party leader Kemi Badenoch.
Badenoch said the result vindicated her decision to abandon the party’s commitment to net zero by 2050, calling the contest a referendum on oil and gas. She argued that the North Sea should continue to be drilled for as long as economically viable, and urged the Labour government to approve environmental applications for the Jackdaw and Rosebank mega-fields.
The seat, a semi-rural commuter belt heavily reliant on the oil and gas industry, provided fertile ground for the Tory campaign. Lumsden focused on differences over North Sea policy, warning that Labour and the SNP were waging a war on the sector. While the SNP’s recent scandal over former chief executive Peter Murrell’s guilty plea to stealing £400,000 in party funds also featured on the doorstep, voters appeared swayed by the argument over drilling.
The SNP’s position allows new drilling only if it does not violate climate commitments, while Labour has pledged to issue no new licences. The Tories have found unlikely allies in Unite and GMB unions, whose general secretary Sharon Graham said anti-North Sea policies must be scrapped until a credible jobs plan exists.
Despite the win, polling suggests wider public support for net zero remains strong. A recent Ipsos survey found that 64 per cent of voters believe the 2050 target should be met at least by that date, if not earlier. The byelection was triggered when former SNP MP Stephen Flynn stood down to take his seat in Holyrood.
