Scottish Conservatives claim first Westminster by-election win in Aberdeen South

Douglas Lumsden won Aberdeen South for the Scottish Conservatives on 18 June 2026, the party's first Westminster by-election gain since the 2024 general election and first such victory in Scotland in recent memory. The seat had been Labour-held. For a Conservative party reduced to a single Westminster MP after 2024, winning a by-election — fought under concentrated scrutiny — signals a different kind of validation than holding a seat in a general election.