Scottish Conservatives hail by-election result in Aberdeenshire
The Scottish Conservatives have hailed a by-election result in Aberdeenshire after the party increased its share of the vote by more than 12%.
Lesley Berry was elected to the Inverurie and District ward, which was left vacant after Colin Clark stepped down when he was elected as MP for Gordon in June.
The Scottish Conservatives took 1,672 first preference votes (48.35%), which was up from 35.95% in May’s local elections.
Colin Clark, Scottish Conservative MP for Gordon, said: “This is a fantastic result for the Scottish Conservatives and marks four-in-a-row for the party in recent elections in Inverurie.
“Lesley Berry will be a great councillor. She is already well known within the town and is full of enthusiasm for her local area.
“Together with the recent general election result, this by-election confirms that people in Inverurie see the Scottish Conservatives as a party they trust to deliver. It's a trust both me and Lesley intend to repay.
"The fact we have increased our vote share is a serious embarrassment for the SNP. It's only a few days since Derek Mackay and others were claiming the Conservative bubble had burst.
“This by election shows that if anyone is punctured right now, it's the Nationalists."