East Lothian (Scottish Parliament constituency)

East Lothian
East Lothian
County constituency; for the Scottish Parliament
	East Lothian shown within the South Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Population	79,505 (2019)
Current constituency
Created	1999
Party	Scottish National Party
MSP	Paul McLennan
Council area	East Lothian

East Lothian (/ˈloʊðiən/; Scots: Aest Lowden; Scottish Gaelic: Lodainn an Ear) is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering most of the council area of East Lothian. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. It is also one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

The seat has been held by Paul McLennan from the Scottish National Party since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

Electoral region

The other eight constituencies of the South Scotland region are: Ayr, Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Clydesdale, Dumfriesshire, Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Galloway and West Dumfries, Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley and Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale.

The region covers the Dumfries and Galloway council area, part of the East Ayrshire council area, part of the East Lothian council area, part of the Midlothian council area, the Scottish Borders council area, the South Ayrshire council area and part of the South Lanarkshire council area.

Constituency boundaries and council area

Map of boundaries from 2011

The East Lothian constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies.^[2] Following their first Periodic Review into Scottish Parliament constituencies, the Boundary Commission for Scotland recommended the formation of a modified East Lothian, with the Musselburgh electorate wards part of a redrawn Midlothian North and Musselburgh constituency, which was first used for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election.

The Holyrood constituency covers most of the East Lothian council area. The remainder is represented by the Midlothian North and Musselburgh constituency.

East Lothian is formed from the electoral wards listed below. All of these wards are part of East Lothian.

In full: Dunbar and East Linton, Haddington and Lammermuir, North Berwick Coastal, Preston, Seton and Gosford
In part: Tranent/Wallyford/Macmerry (shared with Midlothian North and Musselburgh constituency)

Member of the Scottish Parliament

	Member	Party
1999	John Home Robertson	Labour
2007	Iain Gray	Labour
2021	Paul McLennan	SNP

Election results

2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: East Lothian^[3]
Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Paul McLennan	17,968	39.2	4.4	15,498	33.8	0.3
	Labour	Martin Whitfield^[a]	16,789	36.7	1.1	11,207	24.4	2.0
	Conservative	Craig Hoy^[a]	9,470	20.7	3.2	11,864	25.9	1.9
	Scottish Green					3,801	8.3	1.5
	Liberal Democrats	Euan Davidson	1,566	3.4	0.1	1,611	3.5	0.2
	Alba					552	1.2	New
	All for Unity					481	1.0	New
	Independent Green Voice					278	0.6	New
	Scottish Family					196	0.4	New
	Abolish the Scottish Parliament					96	0.2	New
	Freedom Alliance (UK)					84	0.2	New
	Reform UK					77	0.2	New
	UKIP					59	0.1	1.5
	Scottish Libertarian					51	0.1	New
	Vanguard Party (UK)					9	0.0	New
	Scotia Future					8	0.0	New
Valid Votes			45,793			45,872
Invalid Votes			138			58
Majority			1,179	2.5	N/A
Turnout			45,931	69.1	6.6	45,930	69.1	6.6
	SNP gain from Labour		Swing		2.8
Notes ^ ^a ^b Elected on the party list

This was the only SNP gain from Labour at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

2010s

2016 Scottish Parliament election: East Lothian^[4]
Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Iain Gray^[a]	14,329	37.8	1.2	10,020	26.4	5.2
	SNP	Douglas-James Johnston-Smith	13,202	34.8	3.7	12,729	33.5	4.1
	Conservative	Rachael Hamilton^[b]	9,045	23.9	7.3	10,570	27.8	11.9
	Scottish Green					2,580	6.8	2.1
	Liberal Democrats	Ettie Spencer	1,337	3.5	2.4	1,242	3.3	1.8
	UKIP					590	1.6	0.6
	Solidarity					108	0.3	0.2
	Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent					71	0.2	New
	RISE					70	0.2	New
Majority			1,127	3.0	2.5
Valid Votes			37,913			37,980
Invalid Votes			118			47
Turnout			38,031	62.5	5.2	38,027	62.5	5.2
	Labour hold		Swing
Notes ^ Incumbent member for this constituency ^ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

2011 Scottish Parliament election: East Lothian^[5]
Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Iain Gray^[a]	12,536	39.0	N/A	10,189	31.6	N/A
	SNP	David Berry	12,385	38.5	N/A	12,101	37.6	N/A
	Conservative	Derek Brownlee^[b]	5,344	16.6	N/A	5,131	15.9	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Ettie Spencer	1,912	5.9	N/A	1,643	5.1	N/A
	Scottish Green					1,520	4.7	N/A
	All-Scotland Pensioners Party					452	1.4	N/A
	Socialist Labour					377	1.2	N/A
	UKIP					312	1.0	N/A
	Scottish Christian					198	0.6	N/A
	BNP					174	0.5	N/A
	Scottish Socialist					73	0.2	N/A
	Solidarity					24	0.1	N/A
Majority			151	0.5	N/A
Valid Votes			32,177			32,194
Invalid Votes			117			71
Turnout			32,294	57.3	N/A	32,265	57.3	N/A
	Labour win (new boundaries)
Notes ^ Incumbent member for this constituency ^ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

2000s

2007 Scottish Parliament election: East Lothian
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Iain Gray	12,219	35.4	−8.5
	SNP	Andrew Sharp	9,771	28.4	+11.8
	Liberal Democrats	Judy Hayman	6,249	18.1	+1.4
	Conservative	Bill Stevenson	6,232	18.1	+0.6
Majority			2,448	7.0	−19.2
Turnout			34,471	56.2	+3.5
	Labour hold		Swing

2003 Scottish Parliament election: East Lothian
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Home Robertson	13,683	43.9	−7.2
	Liberal Democrats	Judy Hayman	5,508	17.7	+6.7
	Conservative	Stuart Thomson	5,459	17.5	+1.7
	SNP	Tom Roberts	5,174	16.6	−5.4
	Scottish Socialist	Hugh Kerr	1,380	4.4	New
Majority			8,175	26.2	−2.9
Turnout			31,204	52.7	−11.5
	Labour hold		Swing

1990s

1999 Scottish Parliament election: East Lothian
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Home Robertson	19,220	51.1	*N/A*
	SNP	Calum Millar	8,274	22.0	N/A
	Conservative	Christine Richards	5,941	15.8	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Judy Hayman	4,147	11.0	N/A
Majority			10,946	29.1	N/A
Turnout			37,582	72.2	N/A
	Labour win (new seat)

Footnotes

^ Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based), National Records of Scotland; retrieved 6 May 2021 (accompanying summary notes)
^ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived September 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Scottish Parliamentary Election Results - 6 May 2021". East Lothian Council. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
^ "Scottish Parliamentary Election Results - 5 May 2016". East Lothian Council. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
^ "Results and turnout at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 June 2021.

External links

"East Lothian constituency map" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. Retrieved 9 August 2021.

[fn2-4] Elected on the party list

[fn1-6] Incumbent member for this constituency

[fn3-7] Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

[fn1-9] Incumbent member for this constituency

[fn3-10] Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

[1] Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based), National Records of Scotland; retrieved 6 May 2021 (accompanying summary notes)

[2] See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived September 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

[3] "Scottish Parliamentary Election Results - 6 May 2021". East Lothian Council. Retrieved 9 August 2021.

[5] "Scottish Parliamentary Election Results - 5 May 2016". East Lothian Council. Retrieved 9 August 2021.

[8] "Results and turnout at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 June 2021.

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v t « 1999–2011 « Electoral regions and constituencies of the Scottish Parliament (2011–)
Central Scotland	Airdrie and Shotts Coatbridge and Chryston Cumbernauld and Kilsyth East Kilbride Falkirk East Falkirk West Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Motherwell and Wishaw Uddingston and Bellshill
Glasgow	Glasgow Anniesland Glasgow Cathcart Glasgow Kelvin Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn Glasgow Pollok Glasgow Provan Glasgow Shettleston Glasgow Southside Rutherglen
Highlands and Islands	Argyll and Bute Caithness, Sutherland and Ross Inverness and Nairn Moray Na h-Eileanan an Iar Orkney Shetland Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch
Lothian	Almond Valley Edinburgh Central Edinburgh Eastern Edinburgh Northern and Leith Edinburgh Pentlands Edinburgh Southern Edinburgh Western Linlithgow Midlothian North and Musselburgh
Mid Scotland and Fife	Clackmannanshire and Dunblane Cowdenbeath Dunfermline Kirkcaldy Mid Fife and Glenrothes North East Fife Perthshire North Perthshire South and Kinross-shire Stirling
North East Scotland	Aberdeen Central Aberdeen Donside Aberdeen South and North Kincardine Aberdeenshire East Aberdeenshire West Angus North and Mearns Angus South Banffshire and Buchan Coast Dundee City East Dundee City West
South Scotland	Ayr Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Clydesdale Dumfriesshire East Lothian Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire Galloway and West Dumfries Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley Midlothian South, Tweeddale, and Lauderdale
West Scotland	Clydebank and Milngavie Cunninghame North Cunninghame South Dumbarton Eastwood Greenock and Inverclyde Paisley Renfrewshire North and West Renfrewshire South Strathkelvin and Bearsden

v t Electoral regions and constituencies of the Scottish Parliament (1999–2011) » 2011– »
Central Scotland	Airdrie and Shotts Coatbridge and Chryston Cumbernauld and Kilsyth East Kilbride Falkirk East Falkirk West Hamilton North and Bellshill Hamilton South Kilmarnock and Loudoun Motherwell and Wishaw
Glasgow	Glasgow Anniesland Glasgow Baillieston Glasgow Cathcart Glasgow Govan Glasgow Kelvin Glasgow Maryhill Glasgow Pollok Glasgow Rutherglen Glasgow Shettleston Glasgow Springburn
Highlands and Islands	Argyll and Bute Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber Moray Na h-Eileanan an Iar Orkney Ross, Skye and Inverness West Shetland
Lothians	Edinburgh Central Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Edinburgh North and Leith Edinburgh Pentlands Edinburgh South Edinburgh West Linlithgow Livingston Midlothian
Mid Scotland and Fife	Central Fife Dunfermline East Dunfermline West Kirkcaldy North East Fife North Tayside Ochil Perth Stirling
North East Scotland	Aberdeen Central Aberdeen North Aberdeen South Angus Banff and Buchan Dundee East Dundee West Gordon West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
South of Scotland	Ayr Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Clydesdale Cunninghame South Dumfries East Lothian Galloway and Upper Nithsdale Roxburgh and Berwickshire Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale
West of Scotland	Clydebank and Milngavie Cunninghame North Dumbarton Eastwood Greenock and Inverclyde Paisley North Paisley South Strathkelvin and Bearsden West Renfrewshire