Falkirk East (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Falkirk East
County constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
Falkirk East (Scottish Parliament constituency).svg
Central Scotland 2011 (Scottish Parliament electoral region).svg
Falkirk East shown within the Central Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Population80,482 (2019) [1]
Current constituency
Created 1999
Party Scottish National Party
MSP Michelle Thomson
Council area Falkirk

Falkirk East (Gaelic: An Eaglais Bhreac an Ear) is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering part of the council area of Falkirk. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Also, however, it is one of nine constituencies in the Central Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Contents

The constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, for the 1999 Scottish Parliament election. Ahead of the 2011 Scottish Parliament election the boundaries of the seat were reformed and reshaped. [2] [3]

The seat has been held by Michelle Thomson of the Scottish National Party since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

Electoral region

The other eight constituencies of the Central Scotland region are: Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, East Kilbride, Falkirk West, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, Motherwell and Wishaw and Uddingston and Bellshill.

The region covers all of the Falkirk council area, all of the North Lanarkshire council area and part of the South Lanarkshire council area.

Constituency boundaries and council area

Falkirk East (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Map of boundaries from 2011

The 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. [4] The Holyrood constituency was subsequently itself redrawn for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, with the newly shaped Falkirk East being formed from the following electoral wards: [5]

Member of the Scottish Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1999 Cathy Peattie Labour
2011 Angus MacDonald SNP
2021 Michelle Thomson

Election results

2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Falkirk East [6] [7]
PartyCandidateConstituencyRegional
Votes%±%Votes%±%
SNP Michelle Thomson 18,41747.4Decrease2.svg4.016,43242.1Decrease2.svg4.7
Labour Co-op Allyson Black10,83227.9Increase2.svg2.08,51621.8Decrease2.svg0.5
Conservative Neil Benny7,61819.6Increase2.svg0.18,80022.5Increase2.svg2.7
Liberal Democrats Paul Rolfe1,0072.6Decrease2.svg0.69122.3Increase2.svg0.1
Independent Peter Krykant9712.5New
Scottish Green 2,3336.0Increase2.svg1.3
Alba 6291.6New
All for Unity 3250.8New
Freedom Alliance (UK)2200.6New
Scottish Family 2200.6New
Independent Green Voice 2050.5New
Abolish the Scottish Parliament 1270.3New
Reform UK 970.2New
Independent Paddy Hogg840.2New
UKIP 830.2Decrease2.svg2.3
Scottish Libertarian 760.2New
Majority7,58519.5Decrease2.svg6.0
Valid Votes38,84539,059
Invalid Votes115
Turnout 38,96062.9Increase2.svg8.8
SNP hold Swing Decrease2.svg6.0
Notes

    2010s

    2016 Scottish Parliament election: Falkirk East [8]
    PartyCandidateConstituencyRegional
    Votes%±%Votes%±%
    SNP Angus MacDonald 16,72051.4Increase2.svg0.615,19946.4Decrease2.svg3.9
    Labour Craig Martin8,40825.9Decrease2.svg12.37,28122.3Decrease2.svg7.5
    Conservative Callum Laidlaw6,34219.5Increase2.svg11.16,45019.8Increase2.svg12.0
    Scottish Green 1,5374.7Increase2.svg2.2
    UKIP 8122.5Increase2.svg1.8
    Liberal Democrats James Munro1,0543.2Increase2.svg0.67162.2Increase2.svg0.4
    Scottish Christian 2790.9Decrease2.svg0.1
    Solidarity 1540.5Increase2.svg0.3
    RISE 960.3New
    Independent Deryck Beaumont630.2New
    Majority8,31225.5Increase2.svg12.9
    Valid Votes32,52432,587
    Invalid Votes10545
    Turnout 32,62954.1Increase2.svg4.032,63254.1Increase2.svg4.0
    SNP hold Swing Increase2.svg6.5
    Notes
      2011 Scottish Parliament election: Falkirk East [9]
      PartyCandidateConstituencyRegional
      Votes%±%Votes%±%
      SNP Angus MacDonald 14,30250.8N/A14,22150.5N/A
      Labour Cathy Peattie [lower-alpha 1] 10,76738.2N/A8,40129.8N/A
      Conservative Lynn Munro2,3728.4N/A2,2127.8N/A
      Scottish Green 7062.5N/A
      All-Scotland Pensioners Party 6492.3N/A
      Liberal Democrats Ross Laird7272.6N/A5341.9N/A
      BNP 3101.1N/A
      Scottish Christian 2821.0N/A
      Socialist Labour 2801.0N/A
      UKIP 2080.7N/A
      Independent Hugh O'Donnell810.3N/A
      Scottish Socialist 600.2N/A
      Solidarity 350.1N/A
      Others2060.7N/A
      Majority3,53512.6N/A
      Valid Votes28,16828,185
      Invalid Votes8064
      Turnout 28,24850.1N/A28,24950.1N/A
      SNP win (new boundaries)
      Notes
      1. Incumbent member for this constituency

      2000s

      2007 Scottish Parliament election: Falkirk East
      PartyCandidateVotes%±%
      Labour Cathy Peattie 13,184 43.5 −8.1
      SNP Annabelle Ewing 11,31237.3+9.8
      Conservative Scott Campbell3,70112.2+2.3
      Liberal Democrats Natalie Maver2,1367.0+1.0
      Majority1,8726.2−18.0
      Turnout 30,33353.1+4.0
      Labour hold Swing -9.0
      2003 Scottish Parliament election: Falkirk East
      PartyCandidateVotes%±%
      Labour Cathy Peattie 14,235 51.65 +5.53
      SNP Keith Brown7,57627.49−5.75
      Conservative Tom Calvert2,7209.87+0.12
      Liberal Democrats Karen Utting1,6515.99−1.21
      Scottish Socialist Mhairi McAlpine1,3775.00New
      Majority6,65924.16+12.28
      Turnout 27,55949.06−12.35
      Labour hold Swing

      1990s

      1999 Scottish Parliament election: Falkirk East
      PartyCandidateVotes%±%
      Labour Cathy Peattie 15,721 45.12 N/A
      SNP Keith Brown11,58233.24N/A
      Conservative Alastair Orr3,3999.75N/A
      Liberal Democrats Gordon Macdonald2,5097.20N/A
      Socialist Labour Raymond Stead1,6434.67N/A
      Majority4,13911.88N/A
      Turnout 34,84561.41N/A
      Labour win (new seat)

      Footnotes

      1. Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based), National Records of Scotland; retrieved 6 May 2021 (accompanying summary notes)
      2. First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries Archived 17 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine Boundary Commission for Scotland
      3. Scottish Parliament Constituencies Order OPSI
      4. See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived 21 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
      5. Falkirk East: Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (map, 2015), Falkirk Council
      6. Constituencies A-Z | Falkirk East, BBC News; retrieved 7 May 2021
      7. "Scottish Parliamentary election results". Falkirk Council. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
      8. "Results and turnout at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
      9. "Results and turnout at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2 June 2021.

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