Former top Alex Salmond advisor says Inverness South vote ‘confirms downward trajectory for SNP’
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The Inverness South vote is considered one of the best bell-weathers the north is likely to get for voting intentions in the upcoming general election and it does not look like good news for either party of government.
Though too much can be read into one local government by-election and the general election has not even been called, what is certainly clear is that this does not look good for either the SNP or the Conservatives.
Inverness South is that rare ward which is almost evenly split between rural and urban voters and on top of that it is the heartland of current SNP MP Drew Hendry prompting a number of seasoned watchers to point out the implications of the vote.
Ballot Box Scotland tallied the numbers from the previous local government election and showed that comparing the first preference votes to the previous vote back in 2022 the SNP lost almost 16 per cent of its vote and the Conservatives lost just under one per cent.
The Liberal Democrats on the other hand surged by more than 11 per cent while Labour increased its share by 3.8 per cent and the Greens and Alba grew by 1.8 per cent and 1.4 per cent respectively.
Geoff Aberdein, a former top lieutenant to then First Minister Alex Salmond and a hugely respected figure in the Independence movement, felt the vote bodes very badly for the SNP.
He said: “Confirms downward trajectory for SNP. Labour taking a haul in central belt is all but priced in so must hold areas like this to have any chance of winning GE in Scotland. Party needs to focus on core issues, not frippery & remind themselves what got them to Gov in first place.”
The LibDems are making a serious run at the newly redrawn seat of Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire seat against Mr Hendry were delighted with the performance in what is seen as the heartland of Mr Hendry.
Their candidate Angus MacDonald is, like Charles Kennedy, from Lochaber and would be expected to shore up support there, if he or the LibDems are able to secure similar support in Inverness then the seat would be one of the most hard fought in the country.
Commenting on the result, Mr MacDonald said: "With Independent candidates unlikely to play a major role, and the Tories not strong on the west coast it is clear that the forthcoming general election will be a straight fight between the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the SNP in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire.
"Building on Jon's strong result, the Lib Dems have strong momentum to oust the SNP in the General Election and turn Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire from yellow to orange once again.
"People need local representatives who will stand up for local health services, boost Highland businesses and improve local transport links."
Asked about the result, Mr Hendry said: “Congratulations to Duncan McDonald on his election today. Strong representation at a community level is vital for a healthy democracy and that’s why I have always worked across the political divide with local councillors and I look forward to working with Duncan to serve the people of Inverness South.”
