THE SNP have vowed to win back Aberdeen South from the Scottish Conservatives following a "tough" by-election result.
Three by-elections were held across Scotland and England on Thursday – in Aberdeen South, Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, and Makerfield, in Greater Manchester.
The two Scottish by-elections were held after former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn and fellow ex-SNP MP Stephen Gethins were elected to Holyrood in the Scottish Parliament elections last month.
Aberdeen South, which Flynn represented, was lost to the Tories, with sitting MSP Douglas Lumsden taking the seat with 14,308 votes (49.51%), with the SNP's Richard Thomson coming in second with 8258 (28.58%).
And in Gethins' former Arbroath and Broughty Ferry seat, the SNP held on with Lara Bird winning 9802 votes (40.39%), with Reform UK's Bill Reid coming in second on 4841 votes (19.95%).
- See the full Aberdeen South by-election results in charts
- Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election results in charts and graphs
Meanwhile, the Makerfield by-election saw Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham elected as an MP with 24,927 votes (54.8%) compared to Reform UK's Robert Kenyon (15,696 votes, 34.5%), paving the way to challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.
Following the loss in Aberdeen South, Flynn – who is now Holyrood's Economy, Tourism and Transport Secretary and MSP for the Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine constituency – said: "A tough night in Aberdeen that some will need to reflect on, quite heavily.
"Commiserations to my good friend [Richard Thomson] – a great man and colleague.
"Congratulations to [Douglas Lumsden]. I know he loves this city as much as I do, and I look forward to working with him."
Flynn vowed that the SNP would win the seat back from the Tories, adding: "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."
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay congratulated Lumsden on his victory, adding: "A truly immense team effort secured this resounding Scottish Conservative win.
"Our party will keep fighting for oil and gas and standing up to the SNP and Labour."
My congratulations to our new Aberdeen South MP Douglas Lumsden. A truly immense team effort secured this resounding Scottish Conservative win. Our party will keep fighting for oil and gas and standing up to the SNP and Labour. pic.twitter.com/wWa6cYpgec
— Russell Findlay (@RussellFindlay1) June 19, 2026
And Tory leader Kemi Badenoch congratulated Lumsden on his victory, saying "the people of Aberdeen sent a message on behalf of the whole country".
"Aberdeen South was about thousands of jobs in oil and gas across our country and the future of an entire city," she added.
Simon Barrow, national secretary of the SNP trade union group, said the by-election loss is "a massive wake-up call to the SNP on energy policy".
He added: "Trimming further to oil industry demands in the short run might look attractive. But it won’t lower prices and secure jobs – or votes.
"A new, bold renewables-directed transition plan and jobs guarantee for the north east is needed, alongside huge pressure on the UK Government to direct windfall profits there.”
Elsewhere, First Minister John Swinney congratulated Bird for winning the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election.
He said: “I am delighted that the SNP has won the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election and that Lara Bird will take her place as the SNP’s newest MP.
“She has run a fantastic campaign focused entirely on the people’s priorities, in particular the cost of living, and she will be an excellent local champion at Westminster."
Swinney said that "it is clearly disappointing not to have won in Aberdeen South", adding: "I offer my heartfelt thanks to Richard Thomson and his dedicated team of activists for their efforts."
The SNP leader continued: “But while we will continue delivering on the people’s priorities, the contrast with the Westminster system could not be clearer.
“The Labour British government is about to descend into chaos and infighting yet again, in the aftermath of the Makerfield by-election result.
“Rather than supporting people with the cost of living crisis, Westminster will once again be focused on itself.
“Scotland has a better alternative – we can be free of Westminster chaos for good with the fresh start of independence.”
Bird added: “It is an immense privilege to have the people of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry put their faith in me and the SNP.
“Today I am delighted to have been elected, but the hard yards start now and they are the yards towards securing our independence.”
