# East Lothian (Scottish Parliament constituency)

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

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. 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

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

## Election results
### 2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: East Lothian :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Paul McLennan | 17,968 | 39.2 | 4.4 | 15,498 | 33.8 | 0.3 |
| | Labour | Martin Whitfield | 16,789 | 36.7 | 1.1 | 11,207 | 24.4 | 2.0 |
| | Conservative | Craig Hoy | 9,470 | 20.7 | 3.2 | 11,864 | 25.9 | 1.9 |
| | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 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 | Alba | Alba | Alba | Alba | 552 | 1.2 | New |
| | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | 481 | 1.0 | New |
| | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | 278 | 0.6 | New |
| | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | 196 | 0.4 | New |
| | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | 96 | 0.2 | New |
| | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | 84 | 0.2 | New |
| | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | 77 | 0.2 | New |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 59 | 0.1 | 1.5 |
| | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | Scottish Libertarian | 51 | 0.1 | New |
| | Vanguard Party (UK) | Vanguard Party (UK) | Vanguard Party (UK) | Vanguard Party (UK) | Vanguard Party (UK) | 9 | 0.0 | New |
| | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | Scotia Future | 8 | 0.0 | New |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 45,793 | | | 45,872 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 138 | | | 58 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,179 | 2.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,931 | 69.1 | 6.6 | 45,930 | 69.1 | 6.6 |
| | SNP gain from Labour | SNP gain from Labour | Swing | Swing | 2.8 | | | |
| Notes 1 2 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 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Iain Gray | 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 | 9,045 | 23.9 | 7.3 | 10,570 | 27.8 | 11.9 |
| | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 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 | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 590 | 1.6 | 0.6 |
| | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | 108 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| | Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent | Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent | Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent | Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent | Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent | 71 | 0.2 | New |
| | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | 70 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,127 | 3.0 | 2.5 | | | |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 37,913 | | | 37,980 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 118 | | | 47 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,031 | 62.5 | 5.2 | 38,027 | 62.5 | 5.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | Swing | | | | |
| Notes ↑ Incumbent member for this constituency ↑ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency |||||||||
2011 Scottish Parliament election: East Lothian :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Iain Gray | 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 | 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 | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 1,520 | 4.7 | N/A |
| | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | All-Scotland Pensioners Party | 452 | 1.4 | N/A |
| | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | 377 | 1.2 | N/A |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 312 | 1.0 | N/A |
| | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | 198 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | 174 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | 73 | 0.2 | N/A |
| | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | 24 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 151 | 0.5 | N/A | | | |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 32,177 | | | 32,194 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 117 | | | 71 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,294 | 57.3 | N/A | 32,265 | 57.3 | N/A |
| | Labour win (new boundaries) | Labour win (new boundaries) | Labour win (new boundaries) | Labour win (new boundaries) | Labour win (new boundaries) | Labour win (new boundaries) | Labour win (new boundaries) | 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 | 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 | Majority | Majority | 2,448 | 7.0 | −19.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,471 | 56.2 | +3.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
2003 Scottish Parliament election: East Lothian :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 8,175 | 26.2 | −2.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,204 | 52.7 | −11.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### 1990s

1999 Scottish Parliament election: East Lothian :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 10,946 | 29.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,582 | 72.2 | N/A |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | 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.