CONSERVATIVE candidate Julie Pirone admitted it was “disappointing” to see her party fail to establish itself as the main opposition to the SNP in Renfrewshire.

While the Tories managed to turn most of England and Wales blue, the picture was somewhat bleaker for them in Scotland as they lost more than half their seats north of the border.

 

And, as Labour looked to be losing popularity faster than you can say Brexit, Paisley and Renfrewshire North hopeful Mrs Pirone had aimed to pip Alison Taylor to second place.

However, Mrs Taylor managed to secure runner-up spot for Labour, albeit by just 200 or so votes.

READ MORE: SNP pledge to continue Brexit fight after election triumph in Renfrewshire

Mrs Pirone said: “The campaign went really well but I was disappointed we didn’t quite get second place. I really thought we could do that.

“However, I was pleased with the vote share and I think it puts us in a good position for 2021 in the Scottish Parliament.”

 

Mrs Pirone got 11,217 votes, equivalent to 22.6 per of the vote, while fellow Tory Mark Dougan, who stood in Paisley and Renfrewshire South, attracted 7,571 votes (17.6 per cent).

Neither of them enjoyed as big a chunk of the vote share as their party had managed in 2017 but they did close the gap on Labour.

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