Tory byelection victory gives Badenoch vital evidence to justify abandoning net zero

While the SNP’s recent issues put off some voters, the Tories’ support for North Sea oil drilling proved more decisive For the first time in 50 years, the Conservatives have won a byelection in Scotland, taking Aberdeen South from the Scottish National party and giving Kemi Badenoch one of her most significant achievements as party leader. The win for Douglas Lumsden, which was secured with a 15% swing, giving the Tories a majority of 6,050, provides the party leader with an important piece of evidence that her decision to abandon the party’s commitment to net zero by 2050 is working. The question for Badenoch is whether the appeal of her pro-North Sea drilling position will translate in other seats away from the north east of Scotland, which is heavily reliant on the oil and gas industry for tens of thousands of local jobs. Speaking at a rally on Friday alongside Lumsden, Badenoch said: “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.” The seat was heavily targeted by the Conservatives, both because of i