Douglas Lumsden is the Conservative MP for Aberdeen South, having first been elected in a by-election on 18 June 2026.

In the 2026 Aberdeen South by-election, Lumsden received 14,308 votes, representing 49.5% of the total vote. Richard Thomson, the Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate, placed second with 8,258 votes (28.6%), while Jo Hart of Reform UK came third with 2,478 votes (8.6%). Lumsden was duly elected with a majority of 6,050.

Lumsden’s victory in the 2026 by-election was significant for the Scottish Conservatives. It marked their first gain in a Scottish by-election since 1967.

The by-election was triggered after the incumbent SNP MP, Stephen Flynn, resigned his Westminster seat following his election to the Scottish Parliament. Flynn served as the leader of the SNP at Westminster from 2022 to 2026.

Political Career

Lumsden serves as parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the shadow secretary of state for Scotland. He was appointed to this role as part of the August/September 2026 shadow ministerial reshuffle, Kemi Badenoch’s second as Conservative leader.

Before entering the parliament at Westminster, Lumsden was elected as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the North East Scotland region in May 2021. He stood down as an MSP upon his election to the parliament at Westminster.

In early 2025, it was reported that Lumsden had submitted nearly 1,000 written questions to the Scottish government in a single month. The questions, which accounted for more than half of the total submitted by all 129 MSPs combined, covered topics including flagpoles, electric hand dryers and jars of honey. Dealing with the volume of queries reportedly cost taxpayers approximately £100,000.

Lumsden denied using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate the questions.

In January 2022, Lumsden called for the then prime minister, Boris Johnson, to resign over the Partygate scandal.

Lumsden was elected as a Conservative councillor on Aberdeen City Council in 2017. He served as the co-leader of the council from 2017 until his election to Holyrood in 2021.

Lumsden previously contested the Aberdeen South constituency in the 2019 general election, winning 16,398 votes (35.9%). The SNP’s Stephen Flynn won 20,388 votes (44.7%).

Political Views

In January 2022, Lumsden called for the then prime minister, Boris Johnson, to resign over the Partygate scandal.

Before Politics

Douglas Aaron Lumsden was born on 31 August 1971 in Aberdeen.

He studied engineering at Robert Gordon University, graduating in 1993.

Following his graduation, Lumsden pursued a career in the IT industry, working as an IT manager and consultant.

Personal Life

Lumsden is married.

Trivia

Lumsden is an avid skier and a fan of Aberdeen FC.