The SNP has lost an Edinburgh council by-election after Scottish Labour and the Tories swept to victory. Locals in the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward voted yesterday to elect two councillors in unusual circumstances.
One of the vacancies was created when SNP councillor Marco Biagi quit the city chambers to become a special adviser in the Scottish Government. The other vacancy occurred when Lib Dem Louise Spence quit in November days after getting elected.
She had run as a “local champion” but the Record revealed her house was put on the market hours after winning as she planned a move abroad.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay campaigned in the ward and their candidates were declared the winners.
Tory Neil Cuthbert won 32.6 per cent of first preferences while Labour’s Conor Savage won 18.4 per cent at the earliest stage of voting. They were both elected after transfers were counted under the proportional representation voting system.
Reform UK, which has stunned political observers with its strong showing in local by elections, polled around five per cent of first preferences.
The result will not affect the political composition of the administration, which is run by a Labour minority propped up by the Tories and Lib Dems.
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