South Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
# South Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)

South Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). Thus it elects a total of 16 MSPs.

The South Scotland region was created as a result of the First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries and largely replaced the South of Scotland region.

## Constituencies and local government areas

### 2011–present

As a result of the First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries the boundaries for the region and constituencies were redrawn for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election.

| Region | Constituencies | Constituencies |
| - | - | - |
| | | Ayr Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Clydesdale Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley Dumfriesshire East Lothian Galloway and West Dumfries Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale |

### 1999–2011

Prior to the First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries, the area which previously encompassed much of the South Scotland electoral region was known as the 'South of Scotland' electoral region. The constituencies were created in 1999 with the names and boundaries of Westminster constituencies, as existing in at that time.

The First Past the Post constituencies can be found below:

| Region | Constituencies | Constituencies |
| - | - | - |
| | | Ayr Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Clydesdale Cunninghame South Dumfries East Lothian Galloway and Upper Nithsdale Roxburgh and Berwickshire Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale |

The region covered the following local government areas: In full:

* Scottish Borders
* South Ayrshire
* Dumfries and Galloway

In part:

* East Ayrshire
* East Lothian
* Midlothian
* North Ayrshire
* South Lanarkshire

## Members of the Scottish Parliament

### Constituency MSPs

as South of Scotland :

| Term | Election | Ayr | Ayr | Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | Clydesdale | Clydesdale | Galloway and Upper Nithsdale | Galloway and Upper Nithsdale | Dumfries | Dumfries | Roxburgh and Berwickshire | Roxburgh and Berwickshire | Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale | Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale | East Lothian | East Lothian | area formerly within the Central Scotland Region prior to 2011 | area formerly within the Central Scotland Region prior to 2011 | Cunninghame South | Cunninghame South |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1st | 1999 | | Ian Welsh (Labour) | | Cathy Jamieson (Labour) | | Karen Gillon (Labour) | | Alasdair Morgan (SNP) | | Elaine Murray (Labour) | | Euan Robson (LD) | | Ian Jenkins (LD) | | John Home Robertson (Labour) | area formerly within the Central Scotland Region prior to 2011 | area formerly within the Central Scotland Region prior to 2011 | | Irene Oldfather (Labour) |
| 1st | 2000 by | | John Scott (Conservative) | | Cathy Jamieson (Labour) | | Karen Gillon (Labour) | | Alasdair Morgan (SNP) | | Elaine Murray (Labour) | | Euan Robson (LD) | | Ian Jenkins (LD) | | John Home Robertson (Labour) | area formerly within the Central Scotland Region prior to 2011 | area formerly within the Central Scotland Region prior to 2011 | | Irene Oldfather (Labour) |
| 2nd | 2003 | | John Scott (Conservative) | | Cathy Jamieson (Labour) | | Karen Gillon (Labour) | | Alex Fergusson (Conservative) | | Elaine Murray (Labour) | | Euan Robson (LD) | | Jeremy Purvis (LD) | | John Home Robertson (Labour) | area formerly within the Central Scotland Region prior to 2011 | area formerly within the Central Scotland Region prior to 2011 | | Irene Oldfather (Labour) |
| 3rd | 2007 | | John Scott (Conservative) | | Cathy Jamieson (Labour) | | Karen Gillon (Labour) | | Alex Fergusson (Conservative) | | Elaine Murray (Labour) | | John Lamont (Conservative) | | Jeremy Purvis (LD) | | Iain Gray (Labour) | area formerly within the Central Scotland Region prior to 2011 | area formerly within the Central Scotland Region prior to 2011 | | Irene Oldfather (Labour) |
| as South Scotland ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Term | Election | Ayr | Ayr | Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | Clydesdale | Clydesdale | Galloway and West Dumfries | Galloway and West Dumfries | Dumfriesshire | Dumfriesshire | Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire | Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire | Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale | Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale | East Lothian | East Lothian | Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley | Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley | area covered by former constituency moved to the West Scotland Region from 2011 | area covered by former constituency moved to the West Scotland Region from 2011 |
| 4th | 2011 | | John Scott (Conservative) | | Adam Ingram (SNP) | | Aileen Campbell (SNP) | | Alex Fergusson (Conservative) | | Elaine Murray (Labour) | | John Lamont (Conservative) | | Christine Grahame (SNP) | | Iain Gray (Labour) | | Willie Coffey (SNP) | area covered by former constituency moved to the West Scotland Region from 2011 | area covered by former constituency moved to the West Scotland Region from 2011 |
| 5th | 2016 | | John Scott (Conservative) | | Jeane Freeman (SNP) | | Aileen Campbell (SNP) | | Finlay Carson (Conservative) | | Oliver Mundell (Conservative) | | John Lamont (Conservative) | | Christine Grahame (SNP) | | Iain Gray (Labour) | | Willie Coffey (SNP) | area covered by former constituency moved to the West Scotland Region from 2011 | area covered by former constituency moved to the West Scotland Region from 2011 |
| 5th | 2017 by | | John Scott (Conservative) | | Jeane Freeman (SNP) | | Aileen Campbell (SNP) | | Finlay Carson (Conservative) | | Oliver Mundell (Conservative) | | Rachael Hamilton (Conservative) | | Christine Grahame (SNP) | | Iain Gray (Labour) | | Willie Coffey (SNP) | area covered by former constituency moved to the West Scotland Region from 2011 | area covered by former constituency moved to the West Scotland Region from 2011 |
| 6th | 2021 | | Siobhian Brown (SNP) | | Elena Whitham (SNP) | | Màiri McAllan (SNP) | | Finlay Carson (Conservative) | | Oliver Mundell (Conservative) | | Rachael Hamilton (Conservative) | | Christine Grahame (SNP) | | Paul McLennan (SNP) | | Willie Coffey (SNP) | area covered by former constituency moved to the West Scotland Region from 2011 | area covered by former constituency moved to the West Scotland Region from 2011 |

### Regional List MSPs

N.B. This table is for presentation purposes only

| Parliament | MSP | MSP | MSP | MSP | MSP | MSP | MSP |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| as South of Scotland |||||||||||||||
| 1st (1999–2003) | Phil Gallie (Conservative) | Alex Fergusson (Conservative) | Christine Grahame (SNP) | Michael Russell (SNP) | Adam Ingram (SNP) | Murray Tosh (Conservative) | David Mundell (Conservative) |
| 2nd (2003–07) | Phil Gallie (Conservative) | Rosemary Byrne (Socialist) | Christine Grahame (SNP) | Alasdair Morgan (SNP) | Adam Ingram (SNP) | Chris Ballance (Green) | David Mundell (Conservative) |
| 2nd (2003–07) | Phil Gallie (Conservative) | Rosemary Byrne (Socialist) | Christine Grahame (SNP) | Alasdair Morgan (SNP) | Adam Ingram (SNP) | Chris Ballance (Green) | Derek Brownlee (Conservative) |
| 3rd (2007–11) | Michael Russell (SNP) | Jim Hume (Lib Dem) | Christine Grahame (SNP) | Alasdair Morgan (SNP) | Adam Ingram (SNP) | Aileen Campbell (SNP) | Derek Brownlee (Conservative) |
| as South Scotland |||||||||||||||
| 4th (2011–16) | Chic Brodie (SNP) | Jim Hume (Lib Dem) | Joan McAlpine (SNP) | Aileen McLeod (SNP) | Paul Wheelhouse (SNP) | Claudia Beamish (Labour) | Graeme Pearson (Labour) |
| 5th (2016–2021) | Rachael Hamilton (Conservative) | Brian Whittle (Conservative) | Joan McAlpine (SNP) | Emma Harper (SNP) | Paul Wheelhouse (SNP) | Claudia Beamish (Labour) | Colin Smyth (Labour) |
| 5th (2016–2021) | Michelle Ballantyne (Conservative, then Reform UK) | Brian Whittle (Conservative) | Joan McAlpine (SNP) | Emma Harper (SNP) | Paul Wheelhouse (SNP) | Claudia Beamish (Labour) | Colin Smyth (Labour) |
| 6th (2021–) | Craig Hoy (Conservative) | Brian Whittle (Conservative) | Sharon Dowey (Conservative) | Emma Harper (SNP) | Carol Mochan (Labour) | Martin Whitfield (Labour) | Colin Smyth (Labour) |

## Election results

### 2021 Scottish Parliament election

In the 2021 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows:

* 7 Scottish National Party MSPs (6 constituency members and 1 additional member)
* 3 Labour MSPs (additional members)
* 6 Conservative MSPs (3 constituency members and 3 additional member)

**Constituency results**

2021 Scottish Parliament election: South Scotland :

| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| - | - | - |
| Ayr | Siobhian Brown | SNP gain from Conservative |
| Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | Elena Whitham | SNP hold |
| Clydesdale | Màiri McAllan | SNP hold |
| Dumfriesshire | Oliver Mundell | Conservative hold |
| East Lothian | Paul McLennan | SNP gain from Labour |
| Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire | Rachael Hamilton | Conservative hold |
| Galloway and West Dumfries | Finlay Carson | Conservative hold |
| Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley | Willie Coffey | SNP hold |
| Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale | Christine Grahame | SNP hold |

**Additional Member results**

2021 Scottish Parliament election: South Scotland :

| List | Candidates | Votes | % | ± |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| SNP | Emma Harper, Joan McAlpine, Paul Wheelhouse, Màiri McAllan, Richard Walker, Heather Anderson, Siobhian Brown, Stacy Bradley, Paul McLennan, Ali Salamati, Stephen Thompson, Laura Brennan-Whitefield | 136,741 | 37.6 | 0.7 |
| Conservative | Oliver Mundell, Rachael Hamilton, Craig Hoy, Brian Whittle, Sharon Dowey, Shona Haslam, Finlay Carson, Scott Hamilton, Alex Allison, Eric Holford, Alexandra Herdman, John Denerley | 121,730 | 33.5 | 1.4 |
| Labour | Colin Smyth, Carol Mochan, Martin Whitfield, Claudia Beamish, Kevin McGregor, Katherine Sangster, Ian Davidson | 57,236 | 15.7 | 2.1 |
| Scottish Green | Laura Moodie, Barbra Harvie, Dominic Ashmole, Katherine Malone, Charles Strang, Ciara Campbell, Peter Barlow, James Puchowski, Tristan Gray | 18,964 | 5.2 | 0.5 |
| Liberal Democrats | Catriona Bhatia, Jenny Marr | 12,422 | 3.4 | 0.3 |
| All for Unity | George Galloway, Jamie Blackett, Dr Bruce Halliday, Jim Grindlay, Kirsteen Michell, Elspeth Grindlay, Malcolm MacDonald | 5,521 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Alba | Cynthia Guthrie, Corri Wilson, Suzanne Blackley, Laurie Flynn | 3,896 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Independent Green Voice | Maxwell Dunbar | 1,690 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Scottish Family | Charles McEwan, Dorothy Yost, Sophie Hendry, Theresa Gavin, Elizabeth Fabisiak | 1,659 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Abolish the Scottish Parliament | John Ferguson, Simon Bellord | 1,126 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Reform UK | Michelle Ballantyne, David Kirkwood, James Corbett, William Luke | 779 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Freedom Alliance | Mandy Blackman, Amanda McConechy, Gillian Jamieson, Joy Rivett-Gill | 686 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| UKIP | Richard Elvin, Julia Searle, Patricia Mountain, Patricia Bryant, Nick Hollis, David Blaymires | 578 | 0.2 | 2.0 |
| Libertarian | Stef Johnstone | 534 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Scotia Future | Chic Brodie | 194 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Vanguard | Michael Banks | 92 | 0.0 | 0.1 |

### 2016 Scottish Parliament election

In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows:

* 7 Scottish National Party MSPs (four constituency members and three additional members)
* 6 Conservative MSPs (four constituency members and two additional members)
* 3 Labour MSPs (one constituency member and two additional members)

**Constituency results**

2016 Scottish Parliament election: South Scotland :

| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| - | - | - |
| Ayr | John Scott | Conservative hold |
| Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | Jeane Freeman | SNP hold |
| Clydesdale | Aileen Campbell | SNP hold |
| Dumfriesshire | Oliver Mundell | Conservative gain from Labour |
| East Lothian | Iain Gray | Labour hold |
| Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire | John Lamont | Conservative hold |
| Galloway and West Dumfries | Finlay Carson | Conservative hold |
| Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley | Willie Coffey | SNP hold |
| Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale | Christine Grahame | SNP hold |

**Additional member results**

2016 Scottish Parliament election: South Scotland :

| Party | Elected candidates | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/−% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| SNP | Joan McAlpine Paul Wheelhouse Emma Harper | 3 | -1 | 120,217 | 38.3 | -2.7 |
| Conservative | Rachael Hamilton Brian Whittle | 2 | +2 | 100,753 | 32.1 | +12.6 |
| Labour | Claudia Beamish Colin Smyth | 2 | ±0 | 56,072 | 17.8 | -7.5 |
| Scottish Green | | 0 | ±0 | 14,773 | 4.7 | +1.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | | 0 | -1 | 11,775 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
| UKIP | | 0 | ±0 | 6,726 | 2.1 | +1.0 |
| Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent | | 0 | ±0 | 1,485 | 0.5 | N/A |
| Solidarity | | 0 | ±0 | 1,294 | 0.4 | +0.1 |
| RISE | | 0 | ±0 | 1,097 | 0.3 | N/A |

### 2011 Scottish Parliament election

In the 2011 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows:

* 8 Scottish National Party MSPs (four constituency members and four additional members)
* 4 Labour MSPs (two constituency members and two additional members)
* 3 Conservative MSPs (all constituency members)
* 1 Liberal Democrat MSP (additional member)

**Constituency results**

2011 Scottish Parliament election: South Scotland :

| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| - | - | - |
| Ayr | John Scott | Conservative hold |
| Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | Adam Ingram | SNP gain from Labour |
| Clydesdale | Aileen Campbell | SNP gain from Labour |
| Dumfriesshire | Elaine Murray | Labour gain from Conservative |
| East Lothian | Iain Gray | Labour hold |
| Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire | John Lamont | Conservative hold |
| Galloway and West Dumfries | Alex Fergusson | Conservative hold |
| Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley | Willie Coffey | SNP hold |
| Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale | Christine Grahame | SNP hold |

**Additional member results**

2011 Scottish Parliament election: South Scotland :

| Party | Elected candidates | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/−% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| SNP | Joan McAlpine Aileen McLeod Paul Wheelhouse Chic Brodie | 4 | -1 | 114,270 | 41.0 | +12.4 |
| Labour | Claudia Beamish Graeme Pearson | 2 | +2 | 70,596 | 25.3 | -3.5 |
| Conservative | | 0 | -1 | 54,352 | 19.5 | -2.8 |
| Liberal Democrats | Jim Hume | 1 | ±0 | 15,096 | 5.4 | -4.5 |
| Scottish Green | | 0 | ±0 | 8,656 | 3.1 | -0.3 |
| Scottish Senior Citizens | | 0 | ±0 | 4,418 | 1.6 | -0.4 |
| UKIP | | 0 | ±0 | 3,343 | 1.2 | +0.6 |
| Socialist Labour | | 0 | ±0 | 2,906 | 1.0 | +0.5 |
| BNP | | 0 | ±0 | 2,017 | 0.7 | -0.4 |
| Scottish Christian | | 0 | ±0 | 1,924 | 0.7 | -0.1 |
| Solidarity | | 0 | ±0 | 813 | 0.3 | -0.7 |
| Scottish Socialist | | 0 | ±0 | 697 | 0.2 | -0.2 |

## Footnotes

* ↑ Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based), National Records of Scotland; retrieved 6 May 2021 (accompanying summary notes)
* ↑ "Boundary Commission for Scotland - First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries". Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
* ↑ Scottish Westminster constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies in 2005. See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived 21 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
* ↑ South of Scotland [region] [sic], BBC News; retrieved 8 May 2021
* ↑ Scottish Parliamentary Election results 2021 [region] [sic], Dumfries & Galloway; retrieved 9 May 2021
