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<\/p>\nThe veteran politician lost to Emma Roddick after dramatically quitting the party to stand as an independent.<\/p>\n
Fergus Ewing on the campaign trail in Inverness(Image: collect)<\/p>\n
Fergus Ewing has lost the Inverness and Nairn seat he held for almost three decades after his dramatic split from the SNP.<\/a> The veteran politician<\/a> stood as an independent after quitting the party last year, accusing it of \u201cletting Scotland\u2019s people down\u201d.<\/p>\n But voters backed the SNP<\/a> once again, with Emma Roddick taking the seat with 11,162 votes. Ewing secured 7,840 votes and finished third behind runner-up Neil Alexander of the Lib Dems, who polled 10,735.<\/p>\n The son of legendary SNP figure Winnie Ewing had centred his campaign on finally dualling the A9 and A96.<\/p>\n Speaking to the Press and Journal<\/a>, the 68-year-old admitted that he had believed he still had \u201ca sporting chance\u201d of holding on to the constituency.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cOh yes! I thought I had a sporting chance, and somebody once said, ‘It\u2019s better to have fought and lost than never have fought at all.’<\/p>\n \u201cI felt that despite having served for 27 years, there was still petrol left in the tank and I had something specific to offer for the Highlands.\u201d<\/p>\n Ewing lost out to the SNP’s Emma Roddick(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n Despite his defeat, Ewing insisted he has \u201cno regrets\u201d about walking away from the SNP. He said: \u201cI think the SNP moved away from the traditional position occupied in Scotland.\u201d<\/p>\n However, he congratulated Ms Roddick on her victory and wished her \u201cwell\u201d. Reflecting on nearly three decades representing Inverness and Nairn, Ewing described serving the area as \u201cthe greatest privilege of my life\u201d.<\/p>\n Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!<\/p>\n Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.<\/p>\n You’ll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.<\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.<\/p>\n All you have to do is click here<\/a>, select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in!<\/p>\n We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out any time you like.<\/p>\n To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.<\/p>\n![\"Veteran](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_Scottish-Daily-Politics-2025.jpg\")
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