THE LibDems have dropped plans to legally challenge the election result in North East Fife where the SNP’s Stephen Gethins won by just two votes.
In a statement, party boss Willie Rennie said he believed his candidate had a strong argument to have the result overturned, but the cost and time and inconvenience to voters had persuaded the LibDems to accept the SNP victory and move on.
Gethins’s majority over Elizabeth Riches in last week’s election was the smallest in the whole of the UK, and means the MP is now joint holder of the record for smallest win in a Westminster seat since the Second World War.
It was a night of high drama with the initial tally giving Riches the seat by three votes. A recount then brought that down to a Lib Dem win by two votes.
A further recount then put Gethins ahead by two.
The final recount confirmed the SNP’s two vote majority.
LibDem requests to have a fourth recount on the basis of a spoiled ballot paper were rejected by the returning officer. In his statement Rennie said: “Many people have asked us to challenge the result in court.
“We have given this careful consideration and, despite legal advice that we would have grounds to challenge the result, it has been decided not to go to court.
“We have decided there is insufficient evidence to justify a lengthy and expensive legal challenge. It would be expensive for us, expensive to the taxpayer and an inconvenience to the voters, so we could not sanction that without sufficient evidence to warrant it.”
Replying to the news, Gethins said: “This was obviously matter for the Liberal Democrats and Fife Council. Since the election I have been getting on with the job of representing constituents across North East Fife regardless of how they voted.
“I would like to pay due credit to the Returning Officer and everyone involved in the Count last Thursday. It was a long evening both for the counting staff and activists from all parties who were a credit to the political process that evening.”
The LibDems were previously involved in court action over a wafer-thin majority when their candidate in Winchester, Mark Oaten, beat the Tories in 1997 by one vote.
Incumbent Tory candidate Gerry Malone then went to court and had the result overturned forcing another election.
The constituents weren’t too keen on being asked to vote again and the Lib Dems won with a majority of over 21,000.
Oddly, North East Fife wasn’t even the closest fight in British politics this year.
In May’s local council elections, the seat of South Beach in Blyth was a dead heat with the final winner decided by drawing straws.
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