THE SNP have lost a fourth seat to the Scottish Conservatives following a defeat in a by-election in Moray.
It comes after the party already lost three seats to the Tories in Aberdeenshire while Labour held on in Inverclyde to retain their seat in Inverclyde West.
In the Elgin City South by-election, Scottish Tory candidate Elaine Kirby was elected at stage three with 1160 votes.
READ MORE: Patrick Harvie: Donald Trump does not deserve John Swinney's welcome
The SNP’s Laura Mitchell came in second place with 1093 votes.
Mitchell had led the voting after the first stage although, according to Ballot Box Scotland, transfers from the Liberal Democrats and Labour helped determine the winner.
Reacting to the news on Twitter/X, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said: “Yes! That’s four victories for the @ScotTories over the SNP.
“Councillor Elaine Kirby will be a common-sense champion for the people of Elgin City South.”
Elsewhere, Tory MSP Stephen Kerr claimed that the results showed “Labour and SNP are on the way down”.
The Elgin City South by-election had been called because the seat was vacated by Graham Leadbitter as the SNP MP for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey.
In Aberdeenshire, the SNP also lost three seats to the Scottish Tories in Fraserburgh and District, Central Buchan and Mearns.
Meanwhile, in Inverclyde, Scottish Labour saw off their rivals and held onto their council seat in Inverclyde West.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel