Dumbarton (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Not to be confused with Dumbarton (Parliament of Scotland constituency) or Dumbarton (UK Parliament constituency).

Dumbarton
County constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
Dumbarton shown within the West Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland (2011 boundaries)
Electorate56,129 (2022)[1]
Current constituency
Created1999
PartyLabour
MSPJackie Baillie
Council areaWest Dunbartonshire
Argyll and Bute

Dumbarton (Gaelic: Dùn Breatann) is a county constituency of the Scottish Parliament covering parts of the council areas of Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire.[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 West 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 has been held continuously by Jackie Baillie of Scottish Labour since being first contested at the 1999 Scottish Parliament election.

Electoral region

See also: West Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)

The other nine constituencies of the West Scotland region are: Cunninghame North, Cunninghame South, Clydebank and Milngavie, Eastwood, Inverclyde, Paisley, Renfrewshire North and Cardonald, Renfrewshire West and Levern Valley, and Strathkelvin and Bearsden.[3] The region covers the whole of the council areas of East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, and West Dunbartonshire; and parts of the council areas of Argyll and Bute, East Ayrshire, and Glasgow.[4]

Constituency boundaries and council area

The Dumbarton constituency takes in Helensburgh and Lomond from the Argyll and Bute council area and covers Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven in West Dunbartonshire. The rest of West Dunbartonshire is covered by the Clydebank and Milngavie. The rest of Argyll and Bute is covered by the Argyll and Bute constituency, which is within the Highlands and Islands electoral region.[5]

The Dumbarton constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of the existing Dumbarton constituency of the UK Parliament. Ahead of the 2005 United Kingdom general election the House of Commons constituencies in Scotland were altered, whilst the exisiting Scottish Parliament constituencies were retained.[6] There is now longer any link between the two sets of boundaries. The constituency boundaries were reviewed and altered ahead of the 2011 Scottish Parliament election. In 2025, ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, a further review was undertaken: a very minor boundary change was made in the Old Kilpatrick area where the constituency borders the Clydebank and Milngavie constituency in order to align constituency and ward boundaries.[7]

The electoral wards of Argyll and Bute Council and West Dunbartonshire Council used in the current creation of Dumbarton are:[2]


Constituency profile

Dumbarton is the only constituency in the Scottish Parliament to have voted Labour in every election in the devolved era. Ahead of the 2021 election, The Times profiled the seat:

Dumbarton is a diverse seat split between two local authorities: Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire. Its two biggest towns, Dumbarton and Helensburgh, have very different demographics. Dumbarton has significant unemployment and deprivation. It is a traditional Labour territory but, as with many such heartlands, the party’s one-time supporters have become increasingly disaffected... Helensburgh, with its pretty, blustery waterfront, is more affluent and has benefited from its proximity to [Faslane naval] base.[8]

Incumbent Jackie Baillie has cultivated a profile as a hard working local MSP,[9] a reputation that has helped her retain the seat as the Labour Party has declined nationally. In the 2021 election there was speculation that the seat could vote SNP for the first time,[10] but in the end, Baillie increased her majority from 109 to 1,483.[11] The SNP candidate, Toni Giugliano, blamed his loss on pro-Union tactical voting, tweeting: "The Tory vote in Helensburgh went to Labour in extraordinary numbers to keep us out."[12][13]

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election Member Party
1999 Jackie Baillie Labour

Election results

2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Dumbarton[14][15]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Labour Jackie Baillie[a] 17,825 46.3 6.1 10,228 26.6 1.5
SNP Toni Giugliano 16,342 42.5 2.6 14,766 38.4 0.5
Conservative Maurice Corry[b] 3,205 8.3 6.3 8,110 21.1 2.1
Green 2,444 6.4 1.3
Liberal Democrats Andy Foxall 676 1.8 1.6 986 2.6 1.2
Alba 727 1.9 New
All for Unity 291 0.8 New
Scottish Family 211 0.5 New
Independent Green Voice 192 0.5 New
Abolish the Scottish Parliament 90 0.2 New
Scottish Libertarian Jonathan Rainey 134 0.3 New 73 0.2 0.0
Freedom Alliance (UK) 70 0.2 New
TUSC 73 0.2 New
Reform 57 0.1 New
Independent James Morrison 65 0.2 New
UKIP 48 0.1 1.9
Independent Maurice Campbell 27 0.1 New
Scotia Future 16 0.0 New
Renew 4 0.0 New
Independent James Morrison 183 0.5 New
Independent Andrew Muir 94 0.2 1.7
Majority 1,483 3.8 3.5
Valid Votes 38,459 38,478
Invalid Votes 106 58
Turnout 38,565 68.5 7.4 38,536 68.5 7.3
Labour hold Swing 1.8
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency
  2. ^ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

2010s

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Dumbarton[16][17]
Party Candidate Constituency Region
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Labour Jackie Baillie[a] 13,522 40.2 3.8 8,433 25.1 8.3
SNP Gail Robertson 13,413 39.9 1.6 13,059 38.8 0.4
Conservative Maurice Corry 4,891 14.6 2.6 7,779 23.1 10.3
Green 1,683 5.0 2.3
Liberal Democrats Aileen Morton 1,131 3.4 0.4 1,265 3.8 0.4
Independent Andrew Muir 641 1.9 New
UKIP 665 2.0 0.9
Solidarity 263 0.8 0.3
Scottish Christian 212 0.6 0.1
RISE 186 0.6 New
Scottish Libertarian 69 0.2 New
Majority 109 0.3 5.5
Valid Votes 33,598 33,614
Invalid Votes 100 75
Turnout 33,698 61.2 7.6 33,689 61.1 7.6
Labour hold Swing 2.75
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency
2011 Scottish Parliament election: Dumbarton[18]
Party Candidate Constituency Region
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Labour Jackie Baillie[a] 12,562 44.1 N/A 9,531 33.4 N/A
SNP Iain Robertson 10,923 38.3 N/A 11,178 39.2 N/A
Conservative Graham Smith 3,395 11.9 N/A 3,668 12.9 N/A
Liberal Democrats Helen Watt 858 3.0 N/A 948 3.3 N/A
Independent George Rice 770 2.7 N/A
Green 786 2.8 N/A
All-Scotland Pensioners Party 507 1.8 N/A
Scottish Socialist 506 1.8 N/A
UKIP 301 1.1 N/A
Socialist Labour 254 0.9 N/A
BNP 254 0.9 N/A
Scottish Christian 212 0.7 N/A
Ban Bankers Bonuses 147 0.5 N/A
Pirate 97 0.3 N/A
Independent Richard Vassie 69 0.2 N/A
Solidarity 54 0.2 N/A
Majority 1,639 5.8 N/A
Valid Votes 28,508 28,512
Invalid Votes 114 90
Turnout 28,622 53.5 N/A 28,602 53.5 N/A
Labour win (new boundaries)
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency

2000s

2007 Scottish Parliament election: Dumbarton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jackie Baillie 11,635 38.7 −3.5
SNP Graeme McCormick 10,024 33.4 +14.2
Conservative Brian Pope 4,701 15.6 +1.1
Liberal Democrats Alex Mackie 3,385 11.3 −4.2
Scottish Jacobite John Black 309 1.0 New
Majority 1,611 5.3 −17.7
Turnout 30,054 55.6 +3.7
Labour hold Swing
2003 Scottish Parliament election: Dumbarton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jackie Baillie 12,154 42.2 −1.6
SNP Iain Docherty 5,542 19.2 −10.8
Liberal Democrats Eric Thompson 4,455 15.5 +3.9
Conservative Murray Tosh 4,178 14.5 −0.1
Scottish Socialist Les Robertson 2,494 8.7 New
Majority 6,612 23.0 +9.2
Turnout 28,823, 51.9 −10.0
Labour hold Swing

1990s

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Dumbarton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jackie Baillie 15,181 43.8 N/A
SNP Lloyd Quinan 10,423 30.0 N/A
Conservative Donald Reece 5,060 14.6 N/A
Liberal Democrats Paul Coleshill 4,035 11.6 N/A
Majority 4,758 13.8 N/A
Turnout 34,699 61.9 N/A
Labour win (new seat)

References

Citations

  1. ^ Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 25.
  2. ^ a b Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 140.
  3. ^ a b Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 29.
  4. ^ Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 143.
  5. ^ Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 140-143.
  6. ^ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived September 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 54-67.
  8. ^ Garavelli, Dani (11 April 2021). "Holyrood election: Is it time for Faslane seat to hit the big SNP button?" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  9. ^ Gordon, Tom (4 May 2021). "Election 2021: Dumbarton constituency profile as Holyrood's tightest fight". The Herald.
  10. ^ Thomson, Jack (14 April 2021). "Constituency profile: Dumbarton". Holyrood Website.
  11. ^ "Scottish election results 2021: Labour increase majority in Dumbarton". BBC News. 7 May 2021.
  12. ^ Giugliano, Toni [@ToniGiugliano] (8 May 2021). "Congratulations to Jackie Baillie on holding her seat. I'm immensely proud of my campaign and my team. Our vote came out in large numbers - particularly in Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Giugliano, Toni [@ToniGiugliano] (8 May 2021). "However the Tory vote in Helensburgh went to Labour in extraordinary numbers to keep us out. The sound of Tory activists cheering louder than Labour at yesterday's count speaks for itself" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Elections 2021: Constituencies A-Z: Dumbarton". BBC News. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  15. ^ "2021 Results (6 May)". West Dunbartonshire Council. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Scottish Lib Dems announce Helensburgh councillor as candidate to contest Dumbarton seat". Helensburgh Advertiser.
  17. ^ "2016 Results (5 May)". West Dunbartonshire Council. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  18. ^ "2011 Results (5 May)". West Dunbartonshire Council. Retrieved 7 June 2021.

Bibliography

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