Dumfriesshire (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Not to be confused with Dumfriesshire (Parliament of Scotland constituency).

Dumfriesshire
County constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
Dumfriesshire shown within the 2011 version of the South Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Electorate61,848 (2022)[1]
Current constituency
Created2011
PartyConservative
MSPOliver Mundell
Council areaDumfries and Galloway
Created fromDumfries,
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale

Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris) is a county constituency of the Scottish Parliament covering part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway.[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 South 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]

Created for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, the constituency comprises areas that were previously part of the old Dumfries and Galloway and Upper Nithsdale constituencies, which were abolished and replaced by Dumfriesshire and Galloway and West Dumfries. The seat is largely identical to the historic county of Dumfrieshire.

The seat has been held by Oliver Mundell of the Scottish Conservatives since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. Mundell is the son of former Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell who holds the Westminster seat of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale.

Electoral region

See also: South Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)

Following the second periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries in 2025, the other nine constituencies of the South Scotland region are: Ayr; Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley; Clydesdale; East Kilbride; Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire; Galloway and West Dumfries; Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse; Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley; and Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale.[3] The region covers the whole of the council areas of Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, and South Ayrshire council areas; and parts of the council areas of East Ayrshire, Midlothian, and South Lanarkshire.[4] By population it is now the largest of Scotland's eight electoral regions.[3]

Prior to the 2025 review, there were nine constituencies in the South Scotland region. Besides Dumfriesshire, the other eight constituencies were: Ayr; Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley; Clydesdale; East Lothian; Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire; Galloway and West Dumfries; Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley; and Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale. The region covered the Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, Scottish Borders and South Ayrshire council areas in full and parts of the East Lothian, Midlothian and South Lanarkshire council areas.

Constituency boundaries and council area

Dumfries and Galloway is represented in the Scottish Parliament by two constituencies: Dumfriesshire and Galloway and West Dumfries. Dumfriesshire covers the eastern part of the council area. The town of Dumfries is divided between the two constituencies.

The seat remained largely unchanged following the Second Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries undertaken by Boundaries Scotland ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, although there was a minor ammendment to alter the section of the boundary with Galloway and West Dumfries that follows the River Nith: previously this had followed the riverbank, the review moved this to the centre of the river to allign with ward boundaries.[5] The electoral wards of Dumfries and Galloway Council used in the current creation of Clydesdale are:[6][2]

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election Member Party
2011 Elaine Murray Labour
2016 Oliver Mundell Conservative

Election results

2020s

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2026 Scottish Parliament election: Dumfriesshire[7]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Conservative Craig Hoy
SNP Stephen Thompson
Labour Co-op
Liberal Democrats
Notes
2021 Scottish Parliament election: Dumfriesshire[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Conservative Oliver Mundell[a] 19,487 47.7 10.4 17,561 42.9 5.8
SNP Joan McAlpine[b] 15,421 37.7 3.8 14,301 34.9 1.2
Labour Co-op Colin Smyth[b] 4,671 11.4 13.8 4,834 11.8 7.5
Green 1,376 3.4 0.2
Liberal Democrats Richard Brodie 1,314 3.2 0.3 1,034 2.5 0.5
All for Unity 778 1.9 New
Alba 292 0.7 New
Independent Green Voice 163 0.4 New
Abolish the Scottish Parliament 151 0.4 New
Scottish Family 134 0.3 New
Reform 85 0.2 New
UKIP 82 0.2 2.5
Freedom Alliance (UK) 76 0.2 New
Scottish Libertarian 44 0.1 New
Scotia Future 15 0.0 New
Vanguard 10 0.0 New
Majority 4,066 10.0 6.6
Valid Votes 40,893 40,883
Invalid Votes 111
Turnout 41,004 66.0 6.1
Conservative hold Swing
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency
  2. ^ a b Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

2010s

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Dumfriesshire[11]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Conservative Oliver Mundell 13,536 37.3 7.7 13,451 37.1 12.5
SNP Joan McAlpine[a] 12,306 33.9 7.6 12,212 33.7 1.2
Labour Elaine Murray[b] 9,151 25.2 14.3 7,019 19.3 11.1
Green 1,178 3.2 0.7
Liberal Democrats Richard Brodie 1,267 3.5 1.0 1,080 3.0 0.5
UKIP 990 2.7 0.9
RISE 131 0.4 New
Clydesdale and South Scotland Independent 126 0.3 New
Solidarity 104 0.3 0.1
Majority 1,230 3.4 N/A
Valid Votes 36,260 36,291
Invalid Votes 101 82
Turnout 36,361 59.9 6.3 36,373 59.9 6.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing 11.0
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency
  2. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency
2011 Scottish Parliament election: Dumfriesshire[12]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
Labour Elaine Murray[a] 12,624 39.6 N/A 9,719 30.4 N/A
Conservative Gill Dykes 9,468 29.7 N/A 7,841 24.5 N/A
SNP Aileen Orr 8,384 26.3 N/A 10,373 32.4 N/A
Liberal Democrats Richard Brodie 1,419 4.4 N/A 1,123 3.5 N/A
Green 822 2.6 N/A
UKIP 587 1.8 N/A
All-Scotland Pensioners Party 566 1.8 N/A
Socialist Labour 388 1.2 N/A
BNP 235 0.7 N/A
Scottish Christian 199 0.6 N/A
Scottish Socialist 72 0.2 N/A
Solidarity 48 0.2 N/A
Majority 3,156 9.9 N/A
Valid Votes 31,895 31,973
Invalid Votes 112 88
Turnout 32,007 53.6 N/A 32,061 53.7 N/A
Labour win (new seat)
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for the Dumfries constituency

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 c Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 28.
  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 74-76.
  6. ^ "First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries Final Report" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. May 2010. p. 99. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Constituencies A-Z: Dumfriesshire". BBC News. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Constituencies A-Z: Dumfriesshire". BBC News. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Scottish Parliamentary Election results 2021". Dumfries and Galloway Council. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Dumfriesshire Constituency Declaration" (PDF). Dumfries and Galloway Council. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Results and turnout at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Results and turnout at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 June 2021.

Bibliography

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