The SNP’s Kirsty Blackman has retained the Aberdeen North seat at the general election despite a resurgence of the Labour vote.
Ms Blackman has represented the constituency since May 2015, when her party swept to victory across Scotland.
Aberdeen North was the SNP’s safest seat in the 2019 election as Ms Blackman claimed the largest winning margin of any of the nationalists’ constituencies.
It was a far tighter affair this year as voters in the decades-long Labour stronghold returned to the party in their thousands.
The margin between the SNP share of the vote and Labour’s was reduced from 40% to just 4%.
But Ms Blackman said the shift to Labour in her constituency was “no surprise”.
She told us: “This was a Labour seat from 1934 to 2015 and the fact I’ve won it with a decent majority is pretty brilliant.
“I don’t know how it compares to the swing anywhere else… but I’m not surprised looking at the polling.”
‘Aberdonians are struggling now in ways maybe they haven’t before’
In her victory speech, Ms Blackman said the wellbeing of her constituents “is and will be” her top priority.
“I know that your priorities are about the cost of living, I know you are struggling now in ways that you maybe haven’t ever before, and I will do everything that I can to make that burden easier,” she said.
She promised to press for the SNP’s manifesto pledge of a UK minimum income guarantee, a Scotland-specific migration system and a just transition towards a “renewables bonanza”.
‘I could not have done this without my bairns’ bosies’
Ms Blackman also took time to pay tribute to her family.
“I’d like to thank my favourite Aberdonians, my bairns Harris and Rebecca and my husband Luke,” she told the crowd.
“Without them, their support and their bosies, I could not have done this for the last few years.
She later told The P&J: “My family have been absolutely brilliant throughout.
When I was first elected, Rebecca was only one and Harris was four. Rebecca has never known anything else other than me going to London.
“And the fact I can come away from all of it, and go on the bikes and climb trees with the bairns is just the best thing.
“It’s absolutely grounding and I could not do it without their support.”
New-look Aberdeen North for 2024 general election
The Aberdeen North constituency has changed this year, swallowing up the northern parts of the city from what was in the former Gordon seat.
It takes the constituency out to the edge of the city limits near Blackdog in the north.
Aberdeen North includes busy suburbs such as Bridge of Don (in its entirety now), Dyce, Bucksburn and Kingswells, as well as areas like Northfield and Mastrick, some of Rosemount and much of Kittybrewster.
The western periphery is the boundary between Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire at Kingsford in the south.
The A944 Aberdeen to Westhill road effectively splits the two city constituencies, both with more than 76,000 voters in each.
Aberdeen North: Labour was predicted to bounce back
Labour candidate Lynn Thomson was expected to be Ms Blackman’s nearest challenger.
As the first postal votes were counted soon after 10pm on Thursday night, the optimism looked warranted.
Ms Thomson’s fellow Labour councillors and activists were happy with the early indicators.
And the candidate was applauded by her party colleagues as she arrived at P&J Live in the early hours.
Her supporters, who had admitted Aberdeen North had been lost some time before the result was called, still proudly praised Ms Thomson as they awaited the returning officer’s declaration.
“I still believe in Lynn,” one told another.
However, their purple-haired inspiration first declined to speak to The Press and Journal soon after Ms Blackman had been returned.
Eventually, the Kincorth, Nigg and Cove councillor shrugged: “It has been a very good result tonight and a very good platform to build upon for the future.”
Aberdeen North voting breakdown
Kirsty Blackman (SNP) 14,533
Lynn Thomson (Lab) 12,773
Desmond Bouse (Lib) 2,583
Gillian Tebberen (Con) 5,881
Kenneth Leggat (Reform) 3,781
Dawn Smith (Scottish Family Party) 352
Esme Houston (Green) 1,275
Lucas Grant (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) 214
Charlie Abel (Alba) 703
Conversation