The Lib Dems held off an SNP surge in the Shetland by-election last night. There was a significant swing to the SNP despite anger sparked by graffiti that appeared on the Lerwick war memorial last week (see below). It was still not enough to overcome the Lib Dem's existing majority in what was Holyrood's safest seat. The Tory and Labour candidates lost their deposits, both easily beaten by an independent. However, where as the Tory vote held and they finished fourth, Labour languished in sixth place behind the Greens.
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| SNP graffiti on Lerwick war memorial |
Shetland, Scottish Parliament
SNP: 3,822 (32.3%) +9.3%
Ind (Thomson): 1,286 (10.9%) New
Con: 425 (3.6%) -0.1%
Green: 189 (1.6%) New
Lab: 152 (1.3%) -4.6%
Ind (Stout): 134 (1.1%) New
Ind (Scott): 66 (0.6%) New
UKIP: 60 (0.5%) New
Ind (Tait): 31 (0.3%) New
Lib Dem HOLD
