The SNP’s Graham Leadbitter has won the first-ever Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey general election contest – with the party retaking the heartland seat from Douglas Ross.
In what was a crucial contest for the party amidst losses elsewhere across the country, the nationalists inflicted one of many bruising losses on the Conservatives tonight.
However, it was a nerve-wracking contest that few at Elgin Town Hall were prepared to call either way until the final stages – recounts were frequently mentioned until minutes before the result.
Despite the win, the SNP’s share of the vote decreased compared to when they came second in the previous Moray constituency in 2019.
Five years ago the party came second with 21,559 votes. Tonight they won a seat, which had been enlarged in boundary changes, with just 14,961 votes as the Conservative support also crashed with turnout dropping from 68.9% to 60.5%.
How SNP won in Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey
The SNP’s victory in Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey came amidst a night of huge losses for the party across the country.
Locally, their support was also greatly reduced. So how did they claim victory in a seat that had been principally held by the Conservatives?
In short, the Tories lost more votes than the SNP with surges in support for Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Reform.
Mr Leadbitter explained that the addition of Highland communities, which had voted SNP in previous elections, had also contributed to the success.
The new MP added: “I think politically the north of Scotland is very different to the Central Belt.
“The political change has been pretty seismic.. Voters are clearly fed up with the Conservatives, that is a message that has come through loud and clear.
“In a Westminster election there will inevitably be a message to vote Labour to stop the Tories, and some of that has come through locally here.
“There will be some criticism of the SNP in there though. We have to reflect on that as a party.”
Mr Leadbitter confirmed he would also stand down as an Elgin councillor in the near future.
Conservative candidate Kathleen Robertson declined to answer any questions.
Voting breakdown
- Graham Leadbitter (SNP) 14,961
- Kathleen Robertson (Con) 13,960
- James Hynam (Lab) 8,295
- Neil Alexander (Lib) 3,785
- Steve Skerrett (Reform) 3,490
- Draeyk van der Horn (Green) 1,676
- Euan Morrice (Scottish Family Party) 423
Crucial win in target seat for SNP
The new Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey seat was a key seat targeted by the SNP throughout the campaign.
First Minister John Swinney visited Elgin in the first weeks of the campaign to support the now-MP Mr Leadbitter.
And he returned on Tuesday this week, just days before the polls opened, to appeal directly to voters in Nairn and Aviemore.
The new Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey constituency covers a vast distance from Elgin, Lossiemouth, Nairn and Forres in the north, to Aviemore, Newtonmore and Dalwhinnie in the south.
The eastern boundary is the River Spey, meaning communities including Fochabers, Buckie, Keith and Cullen are part of the new Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency.
Who is Graham Leadbitter?
Graham Leadbitter may be the new kid on the block at Westminster as Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey MP, but he is a veteran in the Moray Council chambers.
He was first elected as an Elgin City South councillor in 2007 after previously serving as a community councillor.
During that time he has emerged as one of the leading figures in the council’s SNP group, serving as co-leader since 2017.
He led a minority administration as Moray Council leader between 2018 and 2022, steering the local authority through difficult budget decisions.
He told the Press and Journal his experience as council leader motivated him to run for national office for the first time after 17 years as a councillor.
Read more as election results come in across the north and north-east:
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