Kemi Badenoch says historic victory in Aberdeen proves Tories can win ANYWHERE!

By TOM GORDON, SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 20:15, 19 June 2026 | Updated: 20:27, 19 June 2026 Victory in Aberdeen South shows the Tories 'can win anywhere' and defeat Labour and Reform at the general election, Kemi Badenoch has said. Basking in the glow of the historic result, the Tory leader said it showed no seat in the UK was off limits to her party. After celebrating with new MP Douglas Lumsden in the constituency, Mrs Badenoch was asked if would be difficult to get similar wins elsewhere in the country. She said: 'It is not going to be difficult. If we can win in Scotland, where we haven't won a by-election since 1967, we can win anywhere. 'Yesterday, we won council county council seats in Essex, seats which Reform only just won last May. When people taste Reform, they don't like Reform. 'We won seats in Swansea yesterday. 'So we are winning in Scotland, England, and Wales. 'And when the general election comes, people are going to look at who is the credible alternative to take over from Labour. Kemi Badenoch celebrates with Douglas Lumsden (left) and Russell Findlay 'Is it a party that's putting out sensible policies on defence, on energy, or is it the party that's promising giveaways, saying that they're going to cut welfare to reduce beer duty? 'I don't think that that's what people will vote for. That's what Reform has been offering.' Mrs Badenoch said she 'absolutely thrilled' by the result as she met activists and Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay at energy sector company Well-Safe Solutions. She said the win had 'sent a message' in favour of more drilling in the North Sea and called for the delayed Jackdaw gas and Rosebank oil developments to be given the go-ahead. She said a green light for the projects would boost the UK's national security, as the UK needs to 'drill our own oil in the North Sea, not take oil from Russia'. She said: 'What is happening right now as we kill the oil and gas sector is we are killing our energy security. 'We need to drill our own oil in the North Sea, not take oil from Russia or Norway. 'It is time to lift the ban… let Jackdaw and Rosebank drill, and provide energy and security to this country and to homes all across the UK.' Referring to Andy Burnham's tilt at Downing Street, she said: 'The Makerfield by-election was about one man's job. 'The Aberdeen South by-election was about thousands of jobs all over the country but especially in the oil and gas sector. 'Aberdeen has sent a message to the Labour government and the SNP that we will not be ignored. Aberdeen will not be ignored. The sector will not be ignored.' She said the by-election could prove a 'turning point' as Labour and the SNP belatedly woke up to the scale of the problems in energy industry. She said: 'They've been crying out for help, and this was the perfect opportunity for us to get the public to have a say. That's why we made it a referendum on oil and gas. It was a resounding yes. And this is just the beginning. 'We are going to continue championing the industry. We want clean, abundant energy. It's essential for our energy security. Energy security is important for national security.' Mrs Badenoch also said the result had exposed the failures of the Scottish Greens and their hostility to North Sea drilling before alternative employment in green jobs was available. She said: 'It just shows that these people don't have a clue about the economy, they're not thinking about national security, and they don't understand how things work. 'Part of our engagement has been with the renewables sector, and the renewable sector has said that they also need oil and gas as part of the ecosystem. The Conservative leader believes her party can 'win anywhere' after victory in Aberdeen South 'The supply chains that they rely on also support oil and gas. If oil and gas disappears, the supply chain disappears, and renewables disappear. The Greens don't understand that. 'They are very, very basic in their understanding of government, of policy, of economics. We need a party that gets it – that's the Conservative Party. 'We know that we haven't always had the right policies in the past. That's why I'm changing them. Scrapping the energy profits levy. That's not needed anymore. 'New licences in the North Sea are absolutely essential. Let's get Britain drilling.' She said UK Energy and Net Zero Secretary Ed Milliband had been 'a disaster' and a 'one man band for deindustrialization' and ought to be sacked. She said: 'We need to start changing the way we look at industry, the carbon tax, all of the green levies, which he has put in. Ed Miliband is making this country poorer. He should not be in cabinet.' Defeated SNP candidate Richard Thomson said the Tories had 'thrown the kitchen sink' at the campaign, with Mrs Badenoch making repeated visits to the constituency. 'We like not to be out-campaigned, but on this occasion, just the sheer amount of resources that we were up against made it difficult to get the result we'd hoped for,' he said. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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