# Motherwell and Wishaw (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Motherwell and Wishaw is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering part of the council area of North Lanarkshire. 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 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.
The seat has been held by Clare Adamson of the Scottish National Party since the 2016 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 East, Falkirk West, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse 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

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.
The Holyrood constituency is one of four covering the North Lanarkshire council area, the others being Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston and Cumbernauld and Kilsyth; Uddingston and Bellshill spans parts of both North and South Lanarkshire. All five are within the Central Scotland electoral region.
The electoral wards used in the creation of Motherwell and Wishaw are listed below. All of these wards are part of North Lanarkshire.
* In full:
** Motherwell West
** Motherwell South East and Ravenscraig
** Murdostoun
** Wishaw
* In part:
** Motherwell North (shared with Uddingston and Bellshill)

## Member of the Scottish Parliament

The seat had always elected Labour MSPs (until 2016), it was a safe Labour seat from 1999 until 2011. The MSP from 1999 was the former First Minister, Lord Jack McConnell. The MSP John Pentland won the seat on McConnell's retirement in 2011, but the national SNP landslide of that year turned it for the first time from safe Labour into a Labour-SNP marginal with just two percentage points separating Pentland and his nearest opponent, the SNP's Clare Adamson. Adamson defeated Pentland to gain the seat in 2016.
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1999 | Jack McConnell | Labour |
| 2011 | John Pentland | Labour |
| 2016 | Clare Adamson | SNP |

## Election results
### 2021

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Motherwell and Wishaw :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Clare Adamson | 18,156 | 53.2 | 0.7 | 15,672 | 45.9 | 1.8 |
| | Labour | Martine Nolan | 10,343 | 30.3 | 0.8 | 8,429 | 24.7 | 1.8 |
| | Conservative | Nathan Wilson | 4,472 | 13.1 | 0.6 | 5,911 | 17.3 | 3.0 |
| | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 1,951 | 5.7 | 2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Veart | 557 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 520 | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| | Alba | Alba | Alba | Alba | Alba | 496 | 1.5 | New |
| | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | All for Unity | 278 | 0.8 | New |
| | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | Independent Green Voice | 254 | 0.7 | New |
| | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | Scottish Family | 228 | 0.7 | New |
| | Scottish Libertarian | Mark Meechan | 254 | 0.7 | New | 94 | 0.3 | New |
| | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | Abolish the Scottish Parliament | 86 | 0.3 | New |
| | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | Reform UK | 63 | 0.2 | New |
| | UKIP | Neil Wilson | 173 | 0.5 | N/A | 62 | 0.2 | 2.2 |
| | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | 62 | 0.2 | New |
| | Independent | Paddy Hogg | Paddy Hogg | Paddy Hogg | Paddy Hogg | 49 | 0.1 | New |
| | Communist | Daniel Lambe | 194 | 0.6 | New | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,437 | 22.9 | 1.5 | | | |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 34,149 | | | 34,155 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 84 | | | 74 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,233 | 58.9 | 7.7 | 34,229 | 58.9 | 7.6 |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | Swing | | | | |
| Notes ↑ Incumbent member for this constituency |||||||||

### 2010s

Scottish Parliament Election 2016: Motherwell and Wishaw :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Clare Adamson | 15,291 | 52.5 | 11.1 | 13,952 | 47.7 | 5.8 |
| | Labour | John Pentland | 9,068 | 31.1 | 12.7 | 7,751 | 26.5 | 12.2 |
| | Conservative | Meghan Gallacher | 3,991 | 13.7 | 6.5 | 4,169 | 14.3 | 7.9 |
| | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 1,080 | 3.7 | 2.5 |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 698 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Yvonne Finlayson | 761 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 516 | 1.8 | 0.6 |
| | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | 389 | 1.3 | New |
| | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | 332 | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | Scottish Christian | 298 | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| | Independent | Deryck Beaumont | Deryck Beaumont | Deryck Beaumont | Deryck Beaumont | 48 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,223 | 21.4 | N/A | | | |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 29,111 | | | 29,233 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 133 | | | 38 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,244 | 51.2 | 5.5 | 29,271 | 51.3 | 5.5 |
| | SNP gain from Labour | SNP gain from Labour | Swing | Swing | 11.9 | | | |
| Notes ↑ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency ↑ Incumbent member for this constituency |||||||||
Scottish Parliament Election 2011: Motherwell and Wishaw :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Pentland | 10,713 | 43.8 | N/A | 9,473 | 38.7 | N/A |
| | SNP | Clare Adamson | 10,126 | 41.4 | N/A | 10,252 | 41.9 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Robert Burgess | 1,753 | 7.2 | N/A | 1,564 | 6.4 | N/A |
| | Scottish Senior Citizens | John Swinburne | 945 | 3.9 | N/A | 906 | 3.7 | N/A |
| | Scottish Christian | Tom Selfridge | 547 | 2.2 | N/A | 529 | 2.2 | N/A |
| | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | 338 | 1.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Beverley Hope | 367 | 1.5 | N/A | 302 | 1.2 | N/A |
| | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | Scottish Green | 296 | 1.2 | N/A |
| | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | 237 | 1.0 | N/A |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 119 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | Scottish Socialist | 112 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | Solidarity | 85 | 0.3 | N/A |
| | Independent | Hugh O'Donnell | Hugh O'Donnell | Hugh O'Donnell | Hugh O'Donnell | 61 | 0.2 | N/A |
| | Others | Others | Others | Others | Others | 211 | 0.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 587 | 2.4 | N/A | | | |
| Valid Votes | Valid Votes | Valid Votes | 24,451 | | | 24,485 | | |
| Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | Invalid Votes | 63 | | | 51 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,514 | 45.7 | N/A | 24,536 | 45.8 | 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 ↑ Elected on the party list |||||||||

### 2000s

Scottish Parliament Election 2007: Motherwell and Wishaw :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack McConnell | 12,574 | 48.1 | −6.0 |
| | SNP | Marion Fellows | 6,636 | 25.4 | +7.8 |
| | Conservative | Diane Huddleston | 1,990 | 7.6 | −2.4 |
| | Scottish Senior Citizens | John Swinburne | 1,702 | 6.5 | +0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stuart Douglas | 1,570 | 6.0 | +1.8 |
| | Scottish Christian | Thomas Selfridge | 1,491 | 5.7 | New |
| | ATP | Richard Leat | 187 | 0.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,928 | 22.7 | −13.8 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 970 | 3.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,150 | 48.5 | −0.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Scottish Parliament Election 2003: Motherwell and Wishaw :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack McConnell | 13,739 | 54.12 | +8.21 |
| | SNP | Lloyd Quinan | 4,480 | 17.65 | −11.62 |
| | Conservative | Mark Nolan | 2,542 | 10.01 | −2.17 |
| | Scottish Socialist | John Milligan | 1,961 | 7.72 | New |
| | Scottish Senior Citizens | John Swinburne | 1,597 | 6.29 | +6.29 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Keith Legg | 1,069 | 4.21 | −2.04 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,259 | 36.47 | +19.84 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,388 | 49.03 | −8.63 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### 1990s

Scottish Parliament Election 1999: Motherwell and Wishaw :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jack McConnell | 13,925 | 45.9 | N/A |
| | SNP | Jim McGuigan | 8,879 | 29.3 | N/A |
| | Conservative | William Gibson | 3,694 | 12.2 | N/A |
| | Socialist Labour | John Milligan | 1,941 | 6.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Spillane | 1,895 | 6.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,046 | 16.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,334 | 57.1 | 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 21 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
* ↑ "First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries Final Report" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. May 2010. p. 194. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
* ↑ "Central Scotland Region: Notice of Poll and Statement of Persons Nominated". North Lanarkshire Council. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
* ↑ Constituencies A-Z | Motherwell and Wishaw, BBC News; retrieved 7 May 2021
* ↑ "Scottish Parliament Elections 6 May 2021". North Lanarkshire Council. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
* ↑ "Central Scotland – 2016 Results and 2021 Candidates". Ballot Box Scotland. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
* ↑ "Results and turnout at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
* ↑ "Results and turnout at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 4 June 2021.