AN ultra-Unionist party has taken a seat from the Tories in a devastating upset for Douglas Ross’s party.
The British Unionist Party (BUP) has gained its first elected seat in North Lanarkshire, unseating the Conservatives.
John Jo Leckie has taken the seat held by the Tories Sandy Thornton since 2017.
The BUP was founded in 2015 by Better Together activists as A Better Britain – Unionist Party. The name changed in 2019.
READ MORE: Senior Tory councillor loses seat after meeting with ultra-Unionist group revealed
The party is opposed to devolution and opposes any new powers being granted to Holyrood.
Jo Leckie received 859 first preference votes in the Fortissat ward compared with just 512 votes for the Conservative candidate Ben Callaghan.
The area – which includes the town of Shotts, Harthill and Salsburgh – will now be represented by Margaret Hughes for the SNP, and Martin McCulloch and Kenneth Stevenson for Labour.
READ MORE: Former Tory tells Douglas Ross to 'own' failure instead of blaming Boris Johnson
North Lanarkshire was previously ruled by an informal coalition by Labour and Tory councillors.
No overall result had been declared at the time of writing.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel