Overview
- Douglas Lumsden won Aberdeen South with 14,308 votes while the SNP’s Richard Thomson took 8,258, a result confirmed in the early hours of Friday, June 19, 2026.
- The Conservatives framed the contest as a referendum on North Sea oil and gas and concentrated resources on the campaign, a tactic that voters in the city of energy repeatedly raised on doorsteps.
- Senior SNP figures and early counting indicated a heavy tactical vote that coalesced around the Tory candidate and produced a sharp fall in the SNP’s vote from 15,213 in 2024 to 8,258 in the by‑election.
- The campaign unfolded while the party faced internal strain, including the guilty plea of ex‑SNP chief executive Peter Murrell during the run‑up, an issue party sources said formed part of the wider context of voter sentiment.
- At the same time the SNP held Arbroath & Broughty Ferry, where Lara Bird won with 9,802 votes, leaving a mixed regional picture and raising questions about how parties will approach energy, local jobs, and tactical voting ahead of 2029.