SNP concedes Aberdeen South with Scottish Conservatives set to win

Byelection loss suggests voters rebelled against SNP over Peter Murrell’s theft of £400,000 in party fundsUK politics – live updatesThe Scottish National party (SNP) has conceded defeat in the formerly safe seat of Aberdeen South in a shock loss to the Scottish Conservatives.A senior source at the SNP told PA it was the “Tories’ night”, but pledged to “win it back in 2029”.The SNP’s Stephen Flynn, who gave up his Aberdeen South seat for a seat in Holyrood, wrote on social media: “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.”Turnout was 31.4% – down almost 30 points from the general election.The byelection was called after Flynn stood down to take up a seat at the Scottish parliament in May. The law does not allow people to hold seats in the Scottish parliament and the House of Commons simultaneously.He had held Aberdeen South in the 2024 general election with a 3,758-vote majority.The Tories threw significant resources into the contest, with its UK party leader, Kemi Badenoch, visiting the constituency three times as they sought to make it a battle over increased North Sea oil and gas production.The SNP’s defeat suggests some voters rebelled against the party over Peter Murrell’s theft of £400,000 in party funds while he was chief executive and married to Nicola Sturgeon, the former first minister.More details soon …