Airdrie and Shotts
Burgh constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
Airdrie and Shotts shown within the Central Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Population70,478 (2019)[1]
Current constituency
Created1999
PartyScottish National Party
MSPNeil Gray
Council areaNorth Lanarkshire

Airdrie and Shotts (Gaelic: An t-Àrd-Ruigh agus Shotts) is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament 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 the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

The seat has been held by Neil Gray of the Scottish National Party since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

Electoral region

The other eight constituencies of the Central Scotland region are: Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, East Kilbride, Falkirk East, Falkirk West, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, Motherwell and Wishaw 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.[2]

The Holyrood constituency is one of four covering the North Lanarkshire council area, the others being Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Motherwell and Wishaw and Uddingston and Bellshill, the last of which 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 Airdrie and Shotts are:

Member of the Scottish Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1999 Karen Whitefield Labour
2011 Alex Neil SNP
2021 Neil Gray

Election results

2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Airdrie and Shotts[3][4][5][6]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
SNP Neil Gray 16,139 50.6 Decrease1.9 14,251 44.6 Decrease2.9
Labour Richard Leonard[lower-alpha 1] 10,671 33.4 Increase4.2 7,964 24.9 Decrease1.5
Conservative Ross Lambie 4,422 13.9 Decrease1.8 6,528 20.4 Increase4.4
Liberal Democrats John Cole 562 1.8 Decrease0.8 495 1.5 Decrease0.1
No label Jimmy Dowson 132 0.4 New
Scottish Green 1,362 4.3 Increase1.0
Alba 534 1.7 New
All for Unity 188 0.6 New
Scottish Family 166 0.5 New
Independent Green Voice 148 0.5 New
Abolish the Scottish Parliament 76 0.2 New
Libertarian 60 0.2 New
Reform UK 53 0.2 New
UKIP 51 0.2 Decrease2.5
Freedom Alliance (UK) 46 0.1 New
Independent Paddy Hogg 33 0.1 New
Majority 5,468 17.2 Decrease6.1
Valid Votes 31,926 31,955
Invalid Votes 75 49
Turnout 32,001 59.1 Increase9.6 32,004 59.1 Increase9.6
SNP hold Swing Decrease3.1
Notes
  1. ↑ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

2010s

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Airdrie and Shotts[7][8]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
SNP Alex Neil 13,954 52.5 Increase2.4 12,646 47.5 Increase0.6
Labour Richard Leonard 7,762 29.2 Decrease12.6 7,029 26.4 Decrease10.9
Conservative Eric Holford 4,164 15.7 Increase9.8 4,270 16.0 Increase11.0
Scottish Green 880 3.3 Increase1.8
UKIP 730 2.7 Increase2.2
Liberal Democrats Louise Young 693 2.6 Increase0.4 423 1.6 Increase0.3
Solidarity 279 1.0 Increase0.8
RISE 106 0.4 New
Scottish Christian 248 0.9 Decrease0.4
Independent Deryck Beaumont 35 0.1 New
Majority 6,192 23.3 Increase14.9
Valid Votes 26,573 26,646
Invalid Votes 102 26
Turnout 26,675 49.5 Increase2.8 26,672 49.5 Increase2.8
SNP hold Swing Increase7.5
Notes
    2011 Scottish Parliament election: Airdrie and Shotts[9]
    Party Candidate Constituency Regional
    Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
    SNP Alex Neil 11,984 50.2 N/A 11,186 46.9 N/A
    Labour Karen Whitefield 9,983 41.8 N/A 8,884 37.3 N/A
    Conservative Robert Crozier 1,396 5.8 N/A 1,186 5.0 N/A
    All-Scotland Pensioners Party 461 1.9 N/A
    Scottish Green 367 1.5 N/A
    Socialist Labour 330 1.4 N/A
    Scottish Christian 313 1.3 N/A
    Liberal Democrats John Love 531 2.2 N/A 301 1.3 N/A
    BNP 278 1.2 N/A
    UKIP 110 0.5 N/A
    Independent Hugh O'Donnell 80 0.3 N/A
    Scottish Socialist 78 0.3 N/A
    Solidarity 43 0.2 N/A
    Others 222 0.9 N/A
    Majority 2,001 8.4 N/A
    Valid Votes 23,894 23,839
    Invalid Votes 87 119
    Turnout 23,981 46.7 N/A 23,958 46.7 N/A
    SNP win (new boundaries)

    2000s

    2007 Scottish Parliament election: Airdrie and Shotts
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    Labour Karen Whitefield 11,907 43.8 -12.8
    SNP Sophia Coyle 10,461 38.5 +17.6
    Conservative Iain McGill 2,370 8.7 -0.1
    Liberal Democrats Robert Gorrie 1,452 5.4 0.0
    Scottish Voice Mev Brown 970 3.6 New
    Majority 1,446 5.3 -33.2
    Rejected ballots 1,536 2.7
    Turnout 27,160 47.1 +2.8
    Labour hold Swing -15.2
    2003 Scottish Parliament election: Airdrie and Shotts
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    Labour Karen Whitefield 14,209 59.0 +4.8
    SNP Gil Paterson 5,232 20.9 -7.3
    Conservative Alan Melville 2,203 8.8 -0.8
    Scottish Socialist Fraser Coates 2,096 8.4 New
    Liberal Democrats Kevin Lang 1,346 5.4 -1.7
    Majority 8,977 38.1 +11.1
    Turnout 25,086 46.3 -11.3
    Labour hold Swing

    1990s

    1999 Scottish Parliament election: Airdrie and Shotts
    Party Candidate Votes %
    Labour Karen Whitefield 18,338 55.2
    SNP Gil Paterson 9,353 28.2
    Conservative Patrick Ross-Taylor 3,177 9.6
    Liberal Democrats David Miller 2,345 7.1
    Majority 8,985 27.0
    Turnout 33,213 57.6
    Labour win (new seat)

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based), National Records of Scotland; retrieved 6 May 2021 (accompanying summary notes)
    2. ↑ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived 2007-09-21 at the Wayback Machine
    3. ↑ "Central Scotland Region: Notice of Poll and Statement of Persons Nominated". North Lanarkshire Council. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
    4. ↑ "Airdrie and Shotts Constituency: Notice of Poll and Statement of Persons Nominated". North Lanarkshire Council. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
    5. ↑ Constituencies A-Z | Airdrie & Shotts, BBC News; retrieved 8 May 2021
    6. ↑ "Scottish Parliament Elections 6 May 2021". North Lanarkshire Council. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
    7. ↑ "Central Scotland – 2016 Results and 2021 Candidates". Ballot Box Scotland. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
    8. ↑ "Results and turnout at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
    9. ↑ "Results and turnout at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
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