Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse
Burgh constituency for the Scottish Parliament
Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse shown within the former Central Scotland electoral region, and the region shown within Scotland
Electorate	59,596 (2022) [1]
Current constituency
Created	2011
Party	Scottish Labour
MSP	Davy Russell
Council area	South Lanarkshire

Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse is a burgh constituency of the Scottish Parliament covering part of the council area of South Lanarkshire. ^[2] Under the additional-member electoral system used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, it elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. It is also one of ten constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the ten constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole. ^[3] The seat was first formed ahead of the 2011 Scottish Parliament election. ^[4]

The seat has been held by Davy Russell of Scottish Labour since the 2025 Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. ^{[5] [6]} The seat was previously held by Christina McKelvie of the Scottish National Party from its creation in 2011 until her death in March 2025. ^[7]

Electoral region

See also: South Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)

Following the second periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries in 2025, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse was moved from the Central Scotland electoral region into the South Scotland Region. The other nine constituencies of this region are: Ayr; Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley; Clydesdale; Dumfriesshire; Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire; Galloway and West Dumfries; East Kilbride; Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley; and Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale. ^{[3] [8]} The region covers the whole of the council areas of Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, and South Ayrshire; and parts of the council areas of East Ayrshire, Midlothian, and South Lanarkshire. ^[9] By population it is now the largest of Scotland's eight electoral regions. ^[3]

Prior to the 2025 review, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse formed part of the Central Scotland region; the review saw this replaced by a region entitled Central Scotland and Lothians West. The other eight constituencies of the Central Scotland region were: Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Falkirk East, Falkirk West, East Kilbride, Motherwell and Wishaw and Uddingston and Bellshill. The region covered 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 areas

Map of boundaries from 2005

Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse is one of five covering the South Lanarkshire council area. Of the five, Clydesdale, and East Kilbride are also now within the South Scotland region; Rutherglen is within the Glasgow region; Uddingston and Bellshill is part of the Central Scotland and Lothians West region. ^[10]

The constituency was created for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election from parts of the former constituencies of Hamilton South and Hamilton North and Bellshill, along with some areas that were formerly in the Clydesdale constituency. ^[4] Its boundaries remained unchanged following the Second Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries undertaken by Boundaries Scotland ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. ^[11]

The Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency consists of the following electoral wards of South Lanarkshire Council:

• Hamilton West and Earnock (entire ward)
• Hamilton South (entire ward)
• Larkhall (entire ward)
• Avondale and Stonehouse (shared with Clydesdale)
• Hamilton North and East (shared with Uddingston and Bellshill)

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	2011	Christina McKelvie	SNP
	2025 by-election	Davy Russell	Labour

Election results

Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse election results 1999-2025

2020s

2025 Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Davy Russell	8,559	31.6	2.0
	SNP	Katy Loudon	7,957	29.4	16.8
	Reform	Ross Alexander Lambie	7,088	26.1	New
	Conservative	Richard Nelson	1,621	6.0	11.5
	Green	Ann McGuinness	695	2.6	New
	Liberal Democrats	Aisha Jawaid Mir	533	2.0	0.8
	Scottish Socialist	Collette Bradley	278	1.0	New
	Scottish Family	Andy Brady	219	0.8	New
	Independent	Marc Wilkinson	109	0.4	New
	UKIP	Janice Elizabeth Mackay	50	0.2	New
Majority			602	2.2	N/A
Turnout			27,155	44.2	16.7
	Labour gain from SNP		Swing	7.4

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse ^{[13] [14]}

Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
			Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Christina McKelvie [a]	16,761	46.2	2.1	14,924	41.0	2.0
	Labour	Monica Lennon [b]	12,179	33.6	4.1	9,187	25.2	1.4
	Conservative	Meghan Gallacher	6,332	17.5	1.9	7,925	21.8	2.7
	Green					1,897	5.2	0.6
	Liberal Democrats	Mark McGeever	1,012	2.8	0.1	809	2.2	0.2
	Alba					489	1.3	New
	All for Unity					345	0.9	New
	Scottish Family					215	0.6	New
	Independent Green Voice					186	0.5	New
	Abolish the Scottish Parliament					117	0.3	New
	Scottish Libertarian					78	0.2	New
	Freedom Alliance (UK)					60	0.2	New
	Reform					58	0.2	New
	UKIP					53	0.1	2.2
	Independent	Paddy Hogg				51	0.1	New
Majority			4,582	12.6	6.2
Valid Votes			36,284			36,394
Invalid Votes			136			62
Turnout			36,420	60.9	10.6	36,456	61.0	10.7
	SNP hold		Swing		3.1
Notes Incumbent member for this constituency Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

2010s

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse ^{[15] [16]}

Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
			Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Christina McKelvie [a]	13,945	48.3	0.2	12,468	43.0	2.8
	Labour	Margaret McCulloch [b]	8,508	29.5	9.9	7,707	26.6	7.0
	Conservative	Margaret Mitchell [b]	5,596	19.4	9.4	5,519	19.1	11.3
	Green					1,322	4.6	1.8
	UKIP					673	2.3	1.6
	Liberal Democrats	Eileen Baxendale	836	2.9	0.5	575	2.0	0.4
	Scottish Christian					270	0.9	0.4
	Solidarity					256	0.9	0.7
	RISE					133	0.5	New
	Independent	Deryck Beaumont				42	0.1	New
Majority			5,437	18.8	10.1
Valid Votes			28,885			28,965
Invalid Votes			110			58
Turnout			28,995	50.3	5.0	29,023	50.3	4.9
	SNP hold		Swing		5.1
Notes Incumbent member for this constituency Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

2011 Scottish Parliament election: Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse ^{[17] [18]}

Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
			Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Christina McKelvie [a]	12,202	48.1	N/A	11,666	45.8	N/A
	Labour	Tom McCabe [a]	9,989	39.4	N/A	8,571	33.6	N/A
	Conservative	Margaret Mitchell [a]	2,547	10.0	N/A	1,984	7.8	N/A
	Green					720	2.8	N/A
	All-Scotland Pensioners Party					657	2.6	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Ewan Hoyle	616	2.4	N/A	419	1.6	N/A
	Scottish Christian					332	1.3	N/A
	BNP					228	0.9	N/A
	Socialist Labour					220	0.9	N/A
	Scottish Unionist					206	0.8	N/A
	UKIP					170	0.7	N/A
	Independent	Hugh O'Donnell				88	0.4	N/A
	Scottish Socialist					65	0.3	N/A
	Solidarity					50	0.2	N/A
	Scottish Homeland Party					31	0.1	N/A
Majority			2,113	8.7	N/A
Valid Votes			25,354			25,407
Invalid Votes			92			84
Turnout			25,446	45.3	N/A	25,491	45.4	N/A
	SNP win (new seat)
Notes Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

Citations

1. Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 25.
2. Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 141.
3. Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 28.
4. "The New Scottish Parliament Constituencies 2011" (PDF). BBC News online. 8 September 2010. p. 22. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
5. "Labour defeats SNP in surprise Hamilton by-election win as Reform finish third". BBC News. 30 March 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
6. "Davy Russell". www.parliament.scot. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
7. "Holyrood by-election expected before summer recess after death of SNP MSP". The National. 30 March 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
8. Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 138.
9. Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 143.
10. Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 140-143.
11. Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 54-67.
12. Manning, Paul (1 May 2025). "Scottish Parliamentary by-election - Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse - Thursday 5 June 2025". South Lanarkshire Council.
13. "Constituency Declaration of Results 2021 - Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse". South Lanarkshire Council. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
14. "Regional Results 2021 - Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse". South Lanarkshire Council. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
15. "Return of constituency members 2016" (PDF). South Lanarkshire Council. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
16. "Return of regional members 2016" (PDF). South Lanarkshire Council. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
17. "Return of constituency members 2011" (PDF). 6 May 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
18. "Return of regional members 2011" (PDF). 6 May 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2021.

Bibliography

• "Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. April 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.

External links

• "Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency map (2025 review)" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland . Retrieved 24 November 2025.
• "Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency map (2011 review)" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. Retrieved 7 July 2021.