3 key general election contests in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray

The Press and Journal has identified three key battleground seats to watch out for on election night in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.

Unlike the rest of the country, the north-east is a region in which polls mostly indicate a straight fight between the SNP and the Tories.

But there could be surprises in there, with newly redrawn constituencies, suggestions of voter apathy, and a resurgent Labour confident of making gains.

There has already been one big surprise with Labour suspending its candidate in one of the constituencies, as the P&J revealed.

Find out more on that, and take a look at the three key battlegrounds below:

1.Aberdeenshire North and Moray East

This has become one of the biggest electoral battles in Scotland after dramatic events saw Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross join the race.

He was parachuted in to replace David Duguid, who was dropped as the party’s candidate after being left hospitalised from a spinal illness.

Now, the SNP is putting the constituency in its top priority battlegrounds.

John Swinney visited Keith, which sits within the newly redrawn constituency, within days of Mr Ross putting himself forward.

John Swinney was campaigning in the seat where Douglas Ross is standing. Image: Peter Jolly.

It had previously been viewed as one of the safer seats for the Tories but some polls have suggested that could be in doubt.

We caught up with Seamus Logan, the SNP’s candidate in Peterhead, to find out how he was feeling about his chances.

And we also met with Mr Ross, who is keen to position himself as the tactical pro-unionist choice. But a Reform candidate in the seat could cost him votes.

Labour are not at the races here, which is just as well. As we revealed on June 18, candidate Andy Brown was suspended for an investigation into historic “pro-Russian” posts on social media.

Labour ditches Aberdeenshire North and Moray East candidate

2.Aberdeen South

SNP sources say they remain confident they can hold onto SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn’s seat.

They did after all win the constituency in 2019 with a majority of almost 4,000 with the Tories in second place and Labour trailing in fourth.

But Labour have been talking up their chances in the seat where local councillor Tauqeer Malik is standing for the party.

Tauqeer Malik, Labour’s candidate for Aberdeen South.

They have been encouraged by positive polling for the party which suggested the constituency could be in play for them.

And senior Labour figures admitted there is “no bigger scalp” than Mr Flynn’s.

But Labour’s energy plans could prove a difficult sell on the doors of a city where tens of thousands of people work in oil and gas.

Stephen Flynn has been SNP Westminster leader for one year. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson.

They want to raise the windfall tax on oil and gas firms and extend it for an extra year to 2029, and they want to ban new licences.

Experts warn Labour’s plans could risk tens of thousands of jobs.

Mr Flynn has been keen to put these concerns front and centre of his campaign.

But the SNP’s own stance on future oil and gas exploration has been muddled and they have failed to convincingly set out where they stand on new licences.

3. West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

Another interesting – and potentially close – race is in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine where Andrew Bowie is hoping to hold onto the seat for the Tories.

First elected in 2017 to represent the area, he has been a government minister for nuclear and renewables since February last year.

Mr Bowie is facing off against SNP candidate Glen Reynolds who believes he can take the seat for the party.