SNP maintains small grip in north east Scotland

SNP maintains small grip in north east ScotlandJust now By Ken Banks , BBC Scotland, North East reporter The SNP has bucked the trend seen elsewhere across Scotland by maintaining a small grip in the north east of Scotland.

The party held onto both seats in Aberdeen, with Westminster leader Stephen Flynn hanging onto Aberdeen South.

The SNP also won the new seats of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East - defeating the outgoing leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross - and Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey.

The Conservatives held West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, and also won in the new constituency of Gordon and Buchan. The Lib Dems held Orkney and Shetland.

Douglas Ross lost to the SNP's Seamus Logan in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East .

The Fraserburgh councillor won with a majority of less than 1,000, as the Tory vote plummeted.

Mr Ross was controversially selected to stand ahead of David Duguid, who had been representing much of the area prior to the boundary changes. Mr Duguid was effectively de-selected while he was ill in hospital.

Mr Ross announced during the election campaign he would quit as an MSP if he had won the seat.

"I accept my own share of the responsibility," he said about the result.

On a difficult night for his party, the SNP's Stephen Flynn accepted that voters had sent the SNP a message.

"Now is the time where we must learn, we must listen to what the people of Scotland have told us," he said.

"But when you are knocked down, you have to get back up."

The Aberdeen South vote saw Labour surge into second, beating the Conservatives into third.

Kirsty Blackman held onto Aberdeen North for the SNP, again ahead of Labour.

And the SNP's Graham Leadbitter won the new seat of Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey , beating the Conservatives.

Conservative successes Conservative Andrew Bowie held off the SNP's Glen Reynolds in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine .

Mr Bowie increased his majority from under 1,000 to almost 3,500.

He said: "I think it's time to take a step back, a period of introspection, examination, see exactly where the party is, why we lost some surprising seats last night, and how we can move this party forward.

"Yes we have a large Labour government, and I congratulate them on that win, but we need to examine what we need to do to make sure we are an effective opposition to hold that government to account. That is our job over the next few years."

Harriet Cross won the new seat of Gordon and Buchan for the Conservatives.

It saw a margin of just under 900 votes over the SNP's Richard Thomson, who had been the MP for Gordon before the boundary changes.

Lib Dem Alistair Carmichael held onto Orkney and Shetland , taking more than half the vote, ahead of the SNP.