Scottish Conservatives End Decades-Long By-Election Drought
The Scottish Conservatives have secured a notable victory in the Aberdeen South Westminster by-election, marking their first such gain in more than five decades. Douglas Lumsden, an MSP, emerged victorious, unseating the Scottish National Party (SNP) in a contest for the seat previously held by Stephen Flynn.
Lumsden to Transition from Holyrood to Westminster
Following his success, Douglas Lumsden is set to resign from his position as a North East MSP in the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). This move is a direct consequence of the ban on dual mandates, which prohibits individuals from serving in both parliaments simultaneously. Lumsden's resignation comes just six weeks after he was re-elected to Holyrood.
The by-election in Aberdeen South, alongside another in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, was necessitated by the resignations of sitting MPs – Stephen Flynn and Stephen Gethins of the SNP – after their election to Holyrood.
Lumsden, a former professional in the oil and gas sector, stated that the electorate's decision conveyed a clear message: "the destruction of the oil and gas industry must stop now."
He triumphed over SNP candidate Richard Thomson, a former MP for Gordon, by a substantial margin exceeding 6,000 votes, with the Conservatives garnering over half of the total ballots cast.
SNP Retains Arbroath and Broughty Ferry Seat
Concurrently, the SNP celebrated a victory in the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election, where Lara Bird successfully retained the seat for her party. Bird, a qualified lawyer and former SNP researcher and adviser at Westminster, secured the constituency on Scotland's east coast with a majority of more than 5,000 votes over the Conservative candidate.
Bird commented that the voters had "rejected the politics of division and hate" and affirmed that Scotland's future "lies with independence."
Reflections from the SNP
Stephen Flynn, who now serves as Scotland's economy secretary, acknowledged the loss of his former seat on social media, describing it as "A tough night in Aberdeen that some will need to reflect on, quite heavily." He also expressed optimism about regaining the seat, drawing parallels to 2017 when the SNP lost Aberdeen South to the Tories before reclaiming it two years later. "I've no doubt that we can do so again. If we get things right," he posted.
The last time the Scottish Conservatives won a Westminster by-election in Scotland was in 1973, when they held Edinburgh North. Their last gain of a seat in a Westminster by-election in Scotland was in 1967, taking Glasgow Pollok from Labour.
The recent by-elections occurred amidst a backdrop of a comfortable SNP victory in last month's Scottish election, followed by a scandal involving former chief executive Peter Murrell, who admitted to embezzling over £400,000 of SNP funds over a 12-year period. He is scheduled for sentencing next week.
Source: Scottish Conservatives win first Westminster by-election in more than 50 years