# Dunfermline and West Fife (UK Parliament constituency)

Dunfermline and West Fife was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2005 general election from all of the old Dunfermline West and parts of the old Dunfermline East constituencies. Its last MP was Douglas Chapman of the Scottish National Party (SNP).
The Dunfermline and West Fife by-election was held in early 2006, due to the death of the sitting MP, Rachel Squire. Willie Rennie of the Liberal Democrats was the surprise winner, by some 1,800 votes, in what was seen as a safe Labour seat. However, he lost the seat to Labour's Thomas Docherty at the 2010 general election. Chapman then won the seat in the SNP's Scottish landslide in the 2015 general election.
Further to the completion of the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was subject to boundary changes which will include the small town of Dollar in Clackmannanshire. As a consequence, it was renamed Dunfermline and Dollar, first contested at the 2024 general election. Graeme Downie, of The Scottish Labour Party successfully was elected as the Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and Dollar on Thursday 4th July 2024.

## Boundaries

This constituency was formed in 2005 from all of the old Dunfermline West and parts of the old Dunfermline East constituencies.
Rosyth and Inverkeithing in the southeast are the only large population centres on the coast. To the north and west of Dunfermline is more rugged and robust Fife countryside. The whole seat was up against the Firth of Forth.

## Places in Dunfermline and West Fife constituency
### Royal burghs

* Dunfermline - Population: 55,000
* Inverkeithing - Population: 4,820
* Culross - Population: 395 (2006)

### Burghs, towns, and large villages (Over 1,000 population)

* Rosyth - Population: 13,570
* Kincardine on Forth - Population: 2,940
* Crossgates - Population: 2,830
* Cairneyhill - Population: 2,510
* Crossford - Population: 2,320
* Valleyfield - Population: 2,280
* Oakley - Population: 2,240
* Limekilns - Population: 1,450
* Saline - Population: 1,370
* Townhill - Population: 1,160
* North Queensferry - Population: 1,050
* Torryburn - Population: 1,030

### Electoral wards of Dunfermline and small, outlying villages

* Baldridgeburn (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Bellyeoman (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Brucefield (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Carnegie (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Garvock (Ward of Dunfermline
* Halbeath (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Headwell (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Linburn (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Milesmark (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Mossside (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Netherton (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Pitcorthie (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Pitreavie (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Woodmill (Ward of Dunfermline)
* Blairhall - Population: 930
* Hill of Beath - Population: 875
* Kingseat - Population: 860
* Comrie - Population: 830
* Carnock - Population: 790
* Wellwood - Population: 608
* Crombie - Population: 374
* Steelend - Population: 320
* Gowkhall - Population: 220

## Members of Parliament

Rachel Squire (Labour) was the MP for Dunfermline West constituency from 1992 until the major revision of the composition of Scottish parliamentary constituencies for the 2005 general election. Gordon Brown was MP for the neighbouring Dunfermline East constituency from which some territory was given to Dunfermline and West Fife.
Squire won the new seat in the 2005 general election and held it until her death on 5 January 2006. The subsequent by-election was held on 9 February 2006, which Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie won in a shock defeat for Labour. The Liberal Democrats also gained the Dunfermline West Scottish Parliamentary constituency from Labour in the 2007 Holyrood Parliament elections.
In the 2010 general election, the Labour candidate Thomas Docherty won the seat back. In the 2015 general election the seat was won by the SNP's Douglas Chapman.
| Election | Member | Party |
| 2005 | Rachel Squire | Labour |
| 2006 by-election | Willie Rennie | Liberal Democrat |
| 2010 | Thomas Docherty | Labour |
| 2015 | Douglas Chapman | SNP |

## Election results
### Elections in the 2010s

2019 general election: Dunfermline and West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Douglas Chapman | 23,727 | 44.4 | +8.9 |
| | Labour Co-op | Cara Hilton | 13,028 | 24.4 | −9.5 |
| | Conservative | Moira Benny | 11,207 | 21.0 | −3.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rebecca Bell | 4,262 | 8.0 | +2.1 |
| | Scottish Green | Mags Hall | 1,258 | 2.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,699 | 20.0 | +18.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,482 | 69.8 | +2.4 |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | +9.2 | |
2017 general election: Dunfermline and West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Douglas Chapman | 18,121 | 35.5 | −14.8 |
| | Labour Co-op | Cara Hilton | 17,277 | 33.9 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative | Belinda Hacking | 12,593 | 24.7 | +12.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Calder | 3,019 | 5.9 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 844 | 1.6 | −17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,010 | 67.4 | −4.2 |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | -8.4 | |
2015 general election: Dunfermline and West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Douglas Chapman | 28,096 | 50.3 | +39.7 |
| | Labour | Thomas Docherty | 17,744 | 31.7 | −14.6 |
| | Conservative | James Reekie | 6,623 | 11.9 | +5.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gillian Cole-Hamilton | 2,232 | 4.0 | −31.1 |
| | Scottish Green | Lewis Campbell | 1,195 | 2.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,352 | 18.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,890 | 71.6 | +5.2 |
| | SNP gain from Labour | SNP gain from Labour | Swing | +27.1 | |
2010 general election: Dunfermline and West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thomas Docherty | 22,639 | 46.3 | −1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Willie Rennie | 17,169 | 35.1 | +14.9 |
| | SNP | Joe McCall | 5,201 | 10.6 | −8.3 |
| | Conservative | Belinda Hacking | 3,305 | 6.8 | −3.5 |
| | UKIP | Otto Inglis | 633 | 1.3 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,470 | 11.2 | −16.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,947 | 66.4 | +6.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2000s

2006 by-election: Dunfermline and West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Willie Rennie | 12,391 | 35.8 | +15.6 |
| | Labour | Catherine Stihler | 10,591 | 30.6 | −16.8 |
| | SNP | Douglas Chapman | 7,261 | 21.0 | +2.1 |
| | Conservative | Carrie Ruxton | 2,702 | 7.8 | −2.5 |
| | Scottish Socialist | John McAllion | 537 | 1.6 | 0.0 |
| | Scottish Christian | George Hargreaves | 411 | 1.2 | New |
| | Abolish Forth Bridge Tolls Party | Tom Minogue | 374 | 1.1 | New |
| | UKIP | Ian Borland | 208 | 0.6 | −0.9 |
| | Common Good | Dick Rodgers | 103 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,800 | 5.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,578 | 47.9 | −12.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | +16.24 | |
2005 general election: Dunfermline and Fife West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Rachel Squire | 20,111 | 47.4 | −7.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Herbert | 8,549 | 20.2 | +5.9 |
| | SNP | Douglas Chapman | 8,026 | 18.9 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative | Roger Smillie | 4,376 | 10.3 | +0.6 |
| | Scottish Socialist | Susan Archibald | 689 | 1.6 | −0.8 |
| | UKIP | Ian Borland | 643 | 1.5 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,562 | 27.2 | −13.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,394 | 59.9 | +2.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -6.5 | |