Moray MP Angus Robertson has fought back against mounting speculation that he is facing defeat at next month’s general election.
The Conservative party made impressive gains at the Moray Council elections on Friday, securing the highest number of first preference picks in all eight wards and winning 36% of the vote compared to the SNP’s 31.6%.
The unprecedented victory was hailed as a “changing of the tide” in an area historically known as a Nationalist heartland.
Tory candidate in the upcoming general election, Douglas Ross, argued the result added weight to polls indicating Mr Robertson will be dethroned next month.
He added: “It is clear there is a significant shift from the SNP to the Conservatives, and we are fighting the general election as hard as possible to unseat the SNP.
“We out-polled the SNP in the council elections for the first time and that reaffirms our message that Moray is a target seat next month.
“The Nationalist party has been in power in Moray since 1987, and it is clear that people are now seeking a change.”
However, Mr Robertson staged a rally over the weekend to prove that reports of the death of Moray’s SNP support had been greatly exaggerated.
The politician, who has represented the party at Westminster since 2001, launched his election campaign surrounded by more than 100 supporters on the Plainstones in the centre of Elgin.
He told them: “I know first hand how important it is to have a strong voice to stand up for Scotland and to stand up to the Tories at Westminster.
“Now, more than ever, that strong voice matters for the people of Moray, for the people of Scotland and for the people of the whole of the UK.
“The Tories want to take Moray for granted and use local votes to deliver their damaging hard-line agenda, just as they want to block opposition elsewhere in the country.
“I will always put the people of Moray and the people of Scotland first.”
Mr Robertson retained his Westminster seat in 2015 with 9,065 more votes than second-placed Mr Ross.
Voting for the UK Government election will take place on Thursday, June 8.