Perth Fm News - 7th may 2010

SNP Wishart retains Perth and North Perthshire seat

It was expected to be a closely fought race for the Perth and North Perthshire constituency seat between the Conservatives and the SNP.

The results are as follows:

Perth and North Perthshire

Peter Barratt, Scottish Liberal Democrats - 5954
Jamie Glackin, Scottish Labour Party - 7923
Peter Lyburn, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - 14,739
DouglasTaylor, Restore Trust in Parliament - 534
Pete Wishart , Scottish National Party - 19,118

The margin between the SNP and the Conservatives more than doubled since the 2005 General Election. Conservative Candidate Peter Lyburn was gracious in defeat, making it clear he felt his campaign had been a clean one by saying "I maintain my core principal that you can win in politics without being a dirty fighter, and I'll be back. I live here, and I still believe the United Kingdom will be best served with a Conservative Government."

The swing of 2.9 percent from the Conservatives to the SNP helped Pete Wishart retain his seat at Westminster for a further term. Backed by nine previous years in the role, Mr Wishart hopes to continue to serve constituents to his best ability, "We heard lots of talk about this being a top target seat, we were told we were under threat and under pressure. We fought this contest very keenly and I was keen to put out my own personal record and invite people to compare and contrast what was on offer and it's fantastic that they chose in such numbers to back me and allow me to represent their interests in parliament once again."

Banks retains Ochil and South Perthshire for Labour

In the Ochil and South Perthshire constituency, Labour Candidate Gordon Banks has held his seat, against major opposition from SNP candidate Annabelle Ewing.

Ochil and South Perthshire:

Gordon Banks, Scottish Labour Party - 19,131
Annabelle Ewing, SNP - 13,944
Gerald Micheluk, Scottish Conservative and Unionist - 10,342
Graeme Littlejohn, Scottish Liberal Democrats - 5754
David Bushby UK Independence Party - 689
Hilary Charles, Scottish Green Party - 609

This result shows a swing of 4.4 percent from the SNP to Labour.