Kemi Badenoch Says Labour Focused on Internal Drama as Tories Win Key By-Election

Key Points

• Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch declared Labour is “obsessed” with internal party “drama” and urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to focus on energy security and national security instead
• Scottish Conservatives won Aberdeen South by-election with Douglas Lumsden securing 14,308 votes — first Tory by-election win in Scotland since 1967
• SNP vote collapsed from 15,213 in 2024 general election to just 8,258 in Thursday’s by-election, losing by 6,050 votes
• Badenoch called for immediate approval of controversial Jackdaw and Rosebank North Sea oil developments, stating “drill our own oil in the North Sea, not take oil from Russia”
• By-election framed as “referendum” on North Sea oil and gas industry, with Tories arguing it concerns “thousands of jobs” across the UK
• Labour came fourth in Aberdeen South with only 1,550 votes, while Reform UK finished third with 2,478 votes
• Badenoch contrasted Aberdeen South with Makerfield by-election, saying Makerfield was “about one man’s job” while Aberdeen was “about thousands of jobs”
• SNP leader John Swinney admitted “tactical voting has had a real impact on the result”
• Defeated SNP candidate Richard Thomson said Tories “thrown the kitchen sink” at campaign with massive resources
• Peter Murrell’s guilty plea to embezzling £400,000 from SNP did “not make a bit of difference” to poll fortunes, Thomson said
• SNP held Arbroath and Broughty Ferry with Lara Bird winning 9,802 votes
• Lumsden vowed to “fight every day for Aberdeen, our jobs and our energy industry”

Aberdeen (Britain Today News) June 19, 2026 — Aberdeen has delivered a seismic political message to Westminster and Holyrood as the Scottish Conservatives captured the Aberdeen South by-election with a commanding 6,050-vote majority, marking their first by-election win in Scotland since 1967 and prompting Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to declare Labour Party leadership is “obsessed” with internal drama rather than tackling Britain’s energy crisis.

What did Kemi Badenoch say about Labour’s internal drama?

As reported by Katrine Bussey, Craig Paton and Rachel Keenan of the Press Association in The Independent, Badenoch stated during her Friday visit to Aberdeen that

“Labour and the Prime Minister are so obsessed about their own party drama that they are not interested in the cost of living, they are not interested in what is happening to people all across this country, what is impacting their lives”.

The Conservative leader challenged Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers to instead focus on critical issues such as energy security and national security.

Badenoch’s comments came as she celebrated her party’s dramatic by-election success, capturing the seat formerly held by Stephen Flynn, the former SNP Westminster leader who switched to Holyrood after winning a seat in the Scottish Parliament election in May. The contest was sparked when Flynn vacated his Westminster seat to take up his Holyrood position.

How did the Aberdeen South by-election results unfold?

Scottish Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden won the seat easily with 14,308 votes, equating to nearly 50% of the total vote share. The SNP trailed significantly in second place with 8,258 votes, representing a dramatic collapse from 15,213 votes in the 2024 general election. Reform UK finished third with 2,478 votes, while Labour limped into fourth place with only 1,550 votes cast for candidate Nurul Hoque Ali.

As reported by the Belfast Telegraph, the landslide result demonstrates the strength of feeling in the North-east on the issue of North Sea oil and gas, which was the primary focus of the Conservative campaign. The Conservatives had focused their campaign extensively on the future of the North Sea oil and gas industry — much of which is based in Aberdeen — making the by-election a “referendum” on the issue.

Why did Badenoch call North Sea drilling a national security issue?

Speaking in Aberdeen on Friday as she celebrated with Lumsden, Badenoch declared:

“What this means is that we have won that referendum on oil and gas. Aberdeen has sent a message to the Labour Government and to the SNP that we will not be ignored, Aberdeen will not be ignored, the centre will not be ignored”.

She stressed the importance of energy security to national security and attacked Labour for its opposition to new oil developments.

Badenoch stated:

“What is happening right now as we kill the oil and gas sector is we are killing our energy security”.

She said the by-election win means

“a message has been sent that we do need to drill our own oil in the North Sea, not take oil from Russia or Norway when we have got our own oil right here”.

Urging the Government to back new oil and gas projects, she said:

“It is time to lift the ban… let Jackdaw and Rosebank drill, and provide energy and security to this country and to homes all across the UK”.

The Conservative leader also said her party’s dramatic by-election win in Aberdeen South “sent a message” in favour of more drilling in the North Sea, and she called for the controversial Jackdaw and Rosebank developments to be given the go-ahead. She said a green light for the projects would boost the UK’s national security, insisting the UK needs to

“drill our own oil in the North Sea, not take oil from Russia”.

What did Badenoch say about Tories being a credible alternative to Labour?

Badenoch claimed the win helped show the Tories are a “credible alternative to take over from Labour” at the next general election.

“If we can win in Scotland in a seat where we haven’t won a by-election since 1967, we can win anywhere,”

she declared. Highlighting her party’s support for oil and gas, she said the contest in Aberdeen South had been about “thousands” of jobs in the sector.

She contrasted this with the Makerfield by-election also held on Thursday, which Andy Burnham won, paving the way for him to mount a leadership challenge against Sir Keir. Badenoch said while much of the focus had been on Makerfield, that contest “was about one man’s job”. She added:

“The Aberdeen South by-election was about thousands of jobs all over the country, but especially in the oil and gas sector”.

How did Douglas Lumsden respond to his seismic victory?

Mr Lumsden — who will now have to give up the regional list seat he holds at Holyrood — said he hopes his “seismic victory” will force Labour — which came fourth in Aberdeen South — to “change course on oil and gas”. Following confirmation of his victory, Lumsden said:

“Thank you, Aberdeen. This result sends a clear message to Labour and the SNP: their war on North Sea oil and gas must end. It’s an honour to be elected as your MP. I’ll fight every day for Aberdeen, our jobs and our energy industry”.

Earlier in his victory speech, Lumsden said:

“I’m looking forward to getting down to Westminster and really banging the drum for Aberdeen and the oil and gas industry. Labour have got to take note – this is a seismic victory tonight and they have got to change course on oil and gas, they’ve got to change course on energy. We need to have new licences, we need to scrap the (energy profits levy), we need to save those jobs”.

What did SNP leaders say about losing Aberdeen South?

Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney said he was “very disappointed” his party had lost the seat, adding:

“Tactical voting has had a real impact on the result”.

As reported by The Independent, Swinney posted on X:

“@theSNP vote remains strong but it is clear that tactical voting has had a real impact on the result,”

congratulating Lumsden and praising the efforts of SNP candidate Richard Thomson.

Defeated SNP candidate Richard Thomson said the Tories had “thrown the kitchen sink” at the campaign — with Badenoch making a number of visits to the area.

“We like not to be out-campaigned, but on this occasion, I think, just the sheer amount of resources that we were up against made it difficult to get the result we’d hoped for,”

he said.

Did Peter Murrell’s guilty plea affect SNP’s by-election performance?

The guilty plea of former SNP chief executive — and Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband — Peter Murrell did not “make a bit of difference” to the party’s fortunes in Thursday’s poll, Thomson added. Murrell last month pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP over 12 years and is due to be sentenced next week.

“If anybody raised it, it was usually an indication that they weren’t voting SNP anyway,”

Mr Thomson said. He went on to say:

“I think any votes that were decided by that were decided a long, long time ago”.

Thomson also criticised broadcast media coverage of the two by-elections in Scotland, with more focus, he said, being put on the Makerfield contest in northwest England.

Did the SNP hold any other Scottish by-election seats?

The SNP did hold Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, with Lara Bird taking the seat vacated by Stephen Gethins who, like Flynn, quit Westminster for Holyrood. Ms Bird — a lawyer and SNP adviser — won 9,802 votes in Thursday’s contest, with Reform’s Bill Reid second with 4,841. Speaking to the Press Association, Ms Bird said:

“It was obviously the Tories’ night up in Aberdeen this evening, and obviously that’s a disappointing result for us. But the circumstances are very different. I’m just delighted for what we were able to achieve here in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry”.

She continued:

“As I said, an increased majority and an increased vote share is a really good result for us, and I’m really proud of the team and what we were able to achieve here”.

What did Stephen Flynn say about the SNP loss?

Mr Flynn, the former incumbent, voiced his disquiet about the party’s campaign after the SNP conceded defeat in the contest. Posting on X after the result, Mr Flynn said:

“A tough night in Aberdeen that some will need to reflect on, quite heavily”.

He added:

“We lost Aberdeen South to the Tories in 2017, and we won it back two years later. I’ve no doubt that we can do so again. If we get things right”.

An SNP source raised concerns the defeat came because the party’s stance on oil and gas is seen as “weak”, with the SNP vote collapsing from 15,213 in 2024 to just 8,258 on Thursday. A senior party source also hit out at the SNP’s stance on oil and gas — a key issue in a city dubbed as the oil and gas capital of Europe — suggesting voters do not understand the party’s energy policy or view it as “weak”.
Explore More about Politics:
UK Borrowed £23.3bn in May as Iran War Fallout Hits Public Finances
Nigel Farage moves to block “Britcoin” plans over claims they could cost billionaire donor

Why is Aberdeen considered crucial for North Sea oil and gas?

Aberdeen is dubbed the “oil and gas capital of Europe”, making the North Sea oil and gas industry a key issue in the city. The Conservative campaign focused extensively on the future of this industry, which is much based in Aberdeen. Badenoch has expressed concerns that Aberdeen is “dying” due to the SNP’s insufficient backing of the oil and gas sector.

In a conversation with the Press Association, Badenoch stated that her party should not have implemented the windfall tax on oil and gas companies, though she noted that Labour had initiated and made it a permanent measure. When questioned about the SNP’s requests for the tax to be abolished, she remarked:

“The SNP speaks with both sides of their mouth. They are not backing the oil and gas industry”.

Badenoch emphasized that the party seems indifferent to the sector, claiming:

“That’s one of the reasons why oil and gas is struggling, and why Aberdeen is facing decline. We are witnessing a loss of funding, dwindling tax revenues, and young individuals are unable to find employment”.

What are the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil developments?

The Jackdaw and Rosebank developments are controversial North Sea oil projects that Badenoch called for the Government to approve immediately. These projects represent significant oil drilling initiatives that Labour has opposed, with Badenoch arguing they would boost UK national security and energy independence. The Conservative leader stated it is “time to lift the ban” on these developments.

How does this by-election compare to previous Scottish by-elections?

This victory marks the first time the Scottish Conservatives have won a Westminster by-election in more than half a century. The last Tory by-election win in Scotland occurred in 1967, making this a historically significant result. The Conservatives secured this win by over 6,000 votes, demonstrating substantial support.

What implications does this have for the next general election?

Badenoch claimed the win helped show the Tories are a “credible alternative to take over from Labour” at the next general election. Her declaration that

“if we can win in Scotland in a seat where we haven’t won a by-election since 1967, we can win anywhere”

suggests the Conservative Party believes this victory demonstrates broader electoral potential. The result puts pressure on Labour to change course on oil and gas policy, which Badenoch argues is critical for energy security and job preservation.

The by-election has energised Conservative support in Scotland and demonstrated that tactical voting can significantly impact results, a factor that may influence campaigning strategies across the UK for the next general election.