Mark McDonald enjoys Scotland’s largest Holyrood majority in Aberdeen Donside after beating Conservative Liam Kerr by a massive 11,630 votes in 2016.
But Labour have eyes on their former north-east heartlands, and last night a former challenger said they would “relish” a byelection.
The SNP have held the seat since 2003, with the late Brian Adam taking it from Labour’s Elaine Thomson.
The former industrial area’s Westminster counterpart, Aberdeen North, consistently re-elected a Labour MP to Westminster at every opportunity from 1918 until the SNP’s Kirsty Blackman unseated them in 2015.
Mr McDonald was first elected to the seat in the 2013 byelection to replace Mr Adam when he died.
Former city council finance convener Willie Young fought the 2013 byelection in the seat for Labour – finishing with 7,789 votes to Mr McDonald’s 9,814.
Last night Mr Young, now a deputy lieutenant of the city, said: “If you live by the sword, you die by the sword and I think that’s what’s happened here.
“They ran a dirty campaign against us using personal attacks on me, saying I was a millionaire and not a real socialist.
“I think the public of Aberdeen Donside would want him to now relinquish his seat.
“Labour would relish a fight for the seat and the opportunity to put our case to the people of Aberdeen.“