The Conservatives have gained Aberdeen South from the SNP, with Douglas Lumsden winning a majority of 6,050 votes. Lumsden received 14,308 votes, or 49.5% of the valid votes cast, ahead of the SNP’s Richard Gordon Thomson on 8,258 and 28.6%.
The result was declared on 19 June following the by-election on Thursday 18 June. The contest followed Stephen Flynn’s resignation in May.
Reform UK finished third with 2,478 votes, followed by Labour on 1,550. Parliament recorded 28,897 valid votes and 53 rejected ballots from an electorate of 76,033.
Aberdeen South: full result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Lumsden | Conservative | 14,308 | 49.5% |
| Richard Gordon Thomson | SNP | 8,258 | 28.6% |
| Jo Hart | Reform UK | 2,478 | 8.6% |
| Nurul Hoque Ali | Labour | 1,550 | 5.4% |
| Mel Sullivan | Liberal Democrats | 1,270 | 4.4% |
| Jorg Shelton-Eckstein | Green | 974 | 3.4% |
| David Ballantine | Alliance for Democracy and Freedom | 59 | 0.2% |
Shares are calculated from 28,897 valid votes and rounded to one decimal place. Totals may differ slightly from 100% through rounding.
Turnout: valid votes represented 38.01% of the electorate. Including rejected ballot papers, participation was 38.08%.
The Conservatives move from third to first
At the 2024 general election, Flynn won for the SNP with 15,213 votes and a majority of 3,758 over Labour. The Conservatives finished third with 11,300 votes.
Lumsden increased the Conservative total by 3,008 despite considerably lower turnout. The SNP’s vote fell by 6,955, while Labour dropped from 11,455 to 1,550 and moved from second to fourth.
The Conservative share roughly doubled from 24.4% in 2024 to 49.5%. The SNP’s share declined more modestly, from 32.8% to 28.6%, but its lower vote total and the Conservative increase were enough to reverse the result decisively.
Aberdeen South was one of two Scottish Westminster by-elections held that day. The SNP retained Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, so the two contests produced different outcomes even as Labour’s vote fell sharply in both.
See our Aberdeen South constituency profile for the new MP and local data. Our guide to comparing election results explains why a higher share can accompany a lower vote total.
Sources: Parliament’s 2026 by-election result, 2024 result and confirmation of the June winners. Shares above are calculated from valid votes.