Reform struggle in their strongest Holyrood patch, falling behind the Conservatives at the final stage against the ultimately victorious SNP.
Author: Ballot Box Scotland
By-Election Result: George Street and Harbour
An expectedly contrasting result within the Aberdeen South constituency has an easy SNP win, and Labour struggling to keep ahead of the Greens despite low turnout harming the latter.
By-Election Result: East Sutherland and Edderton
One in, one out for Independent councillors in a ward that’s become strongly Lib Dem for Parliamentary elections.
By-Election Result: Arbroath and Broughty Ferry
The least exciting of the three by-elections that took place on Thursday, from a Scottish perspective it’s the one closest to (but still not actually) a useful national barometer.
By-Election Result: Aberdeen South
A high profile move from Westminster to Holyrood leads to an absolutely huge loss for the SNP, as the Conservatives play a blinder of a tactical campaign.
By-Election Preview: Larkhall (South Lanarkshire) 9th of July 2026
A by-election in a staunchly Pro-Union part of the country is a huge opportunity for Reform to score a win, though Labour will benefit more from SNP transfer flows.
By-Election Preview: Peterhead South and Cruden (Aberdeenshire) 2nd of July 2026
A messy vote in a historic SNP heartland, where the Conservatives made stunning inroads post-IndyRef, and Reform lead on one of the votes last month. A tossup between all three, then?
By-Election Preview: Arbroath and Broughty Ferry (UK Parliament) 18th of June 2026
On paper the more marginal of two Scottish by-elections on the same day, in reality changes in support since then likely make this the easier for the SNP to hold.
By-Election Preview: Aberdeen South (UK Parliament) 18th of June 2026
A highly competitive by-election may not garner quite as much attention as one happening on the same day south of the border, but is a key contest in a Scottish context.
SP26: Switching up the System
Following the most disproportionate result in Holyrood’s history, it’s high time we started thinking about how to do things differently, and what would be most effective.