EDINBURGH — The SNP emerged as the biggest loser in a night of surprises at Thursday’s double by-election count for the City of Edinburgh Council, with Labour and the Scottish Greens taking one seat each.
Southside/Newington first to declare
The early stages of the count pointed to a close fight in Southside/Newington, where Labour and the Greens were expected to be competitive. For a time, the SNP’s Silas McGilvray was narrowly behind Labour’s Jim Patrick Wyke on postal ballots, before the contest shifted again as more votes were opened.
By Friday after midnight, a large batch of same-day votes pushed Scottish Green candidate Lorenzo Martinico into the lead in Portobello/Craigmillar, while in Southside/Newington the Green campaign remained hopeful but was still trailing Labour’s Ruth Elliott by around 100 votes.
Southside/Newington was the first result to be announced, and Labour took the ward. The Greens finished second, several hundred votes behind, while the SNP’s Sam Mackenzie came third.
Labour recorded an 8% rise in first preference votes, while the Greens were up 6.4%. The SNP vote share fell to just 11.3%.
Greens take Portobello/Craigmillar
Within 20 minutes, attention moved to Portobello/Craigmillar, where the final result confirmed a Scottish Greens win. Lorenzo Martinico secured 28% of first preference votes, an increase of 11.8%, while the SNP fell to 24.1%, down 13.3%.
Labour’s share in that ward stayed almost unchanged from 2022, at 22.2% of first preferences.
The result was particularly significant because the ward is partly located in a Holyrood constituency where the SNP won comfortably just four months ago, taking 44.7% of the vote compared with Labour’s 28.9%.
For the SNP, the result marked its worst showing in the ward in a decade. The party received a combined 37.4% of first preference votes in 2022, 32.6% in 2017 and 30% in 2012.
What it could mean for the council
Turnout in both by-elections was in the 20% range, so the results should be treated with some caution. Even so, the night gave the Greens fresh momentum and left the SNP facing uncomfortable questions ahead of next May’s full council election.
At the moment, Labour has 12 councillors, backed by the Liberal Democrats on 14 and the Conservatives on 10. The Greens now have 12 councillors, while the SNP has 15. Any group seeking control of the council would need 32 councillors.
The Greens believe they can challenge for leadership of the council in 2027, and Thursday’s results will strengthen that case. For the SNP, the double defeat in Edinburgh is a warning sign as the city heads towards next year’s contest.
Related: ‘Never seen anything like it’: How a routine by-election became ‘night of high drama’
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SNP defeated in dual Edinburgh by-elections as Greens and Labour take seats
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