#GE2017 | WATCH: Major Moray blow to SNP

"What I was hearing on the doorstep was an awful lot of people unhappy with the SNP's record in government in Scotland" DOUGLAS ROSS MP

The SNP are dealing with the aftermath of crushing defeats in the North of Scotland overnight.

Their deputy leader Angus Robertson, who had served as Moray's MP since 2001, is without a job this morning.

He lost his seat - previously with a majority of 9,000-votes - to Tory candidate Douglas Ross.

Moray's new Conservative and Unionist MP claims the opponent and his party miscalculated so-called fears over Tory austerity.

Mr Ross snatched the seat from the SNP's most senior politician in the North, winning by a majority of over 4,000 ballots cast in the Tories' favour.

WATCH: election loser refused reporters interviews, and election winner admitted he'll juggle job & football refereeing commitments...

It's thought that the centralisation of hospital services, the closure of local police and fire control rooms, and a severely under-resourced ambulance service were key voting issues, along with the question over whether Scotland should become independent, or remain part of the UK.

Speaking to MFR in his first broadcast interview, Douglas Ross said: "Many of the levers of our Scottish economy, and many of the services here in Scotland - the health service, the police, local council funding - that's all been fully devolved since 1999, and the SNP have been in power in Scotland for the last decade.

"What I was hearing on the doorstep was an awful lot of people unhappy with the SNP's record in government in Scotland, and a lot of these criticisms can fairly be put at the SNP's door for their policies here in Scotland."

Our reporter Bryan Rutherford asked Moray's SNP MSP Richard Lochhead: "Speaking to Angus Robertson and also the First Minister when she was here campaigning with him, largely the campaign was about spreading the fear about so-called Tory austerity. Do you think that that was the right strategy, because it doesn't appear that the voters were all that scared of the Tories?"

Mr Lochhead replied: "Well, clearly the Conservative Party ran the campaign they wanted to run. They didn't talk about policies. They talked about one simple message over and over, and didn't want to talk about their policies.

"The SNP were very keen to ensure that people were aware of the impact of Tory policies and Tory plans for Moray in Scotland, in terms of impact on household incomes, and pensions."

The MFR News reporter then asked: "Is it possible that voters have been thinking about austerity, but rather than Tory austerity, they've actually been thinking about the so-called SNP austerity, the fact that here in the North they're paying the same taxes, but the services just aren't the same.

"Their health services are centralised to hospitals far away, the ambulance service doesn't have the staff, it doesn't have the ambulances, the control rooms for the fire service and for the police are located hundreds of miles away in Dundee. Do you think that may be why we've seen voting migrating over to the Tories?"

The local constituency MSP responded: "Well, understandably the Conservative party and the Labour party wanted to talk about the domestic agenda, which the Scottish Parliament is responsible for, because they didn't want to talk about Westminster's responsibilities.

"The closure of rural banks and post offices are the responsibility of the Conservative government in London."

Controversy surrounded the ballot count at Elgin Town Hall, where the newly-elected Conservative MP confirmed that he plans to juggle the Westminster job with his football refereeing commitments, which at times requires Douglas Ross to travel outwith the UK.

Ross' critics have already accused the current regional MSP of being a part-timer.

But defending himself, he said: "My number one and only priority will be to represent the people of Moray, but I also think it's healthy for politicians to have outside interests, and I've refereed across the Highland League for many years, and I've been a local referee here in Moray for about 14 or 15-years.

"If I can keep an outside interest while assuring people that my number one priority is representing the people of Moray, then I hope that they will see that in the years ahead."

The SNP's ousted Angus Robertson is promising his party will "bounce back" in Moray. Although he refused reporters any interviews, Mr Robertson gave a defiant speech. The election loser told media gathered in front of him: "You win some elections, you lose some elections.

"One thing I'm absolutely certain of is the SNP will bounce back, and the SNP will win again in Moray."

Elsewhere former First Minister and ex-leader of the SNP, Alex Salmond was axed by voters in his Aberdeenshire constituency of Gordon, after another Tory gain.

In Caithness and Sutherland the controversial SNP candidate Paul Monaghan lost to LibDem Jamie Stone after failing to become re-elected. CLICK HERE for the full story.

In the Highland capital there was good news for the SNP with their candidate Drew Hendry successfully holding onto his Inverness, Badenoch, and Strathspey seat.

"The SNP will bounce back, and the SNP will win again in Moray" FORMER MP ANGUS ROBERTSON