Current MSP: Alex Neil (SNP) [MSP website]
Party Candidate Votes +/– % +/–
SNP Alex Neil ^ 11984 +2337 50.2 +10.1
Labour Karen Whitefield * 9983 -297 41.8 -0.9
Conservative Robert Crozier 1396 -632 5.8 -2.6
Liberal Democrat John Love # 531 -727 2.2 -3.0
Majority 2001 Turnout 23894 Swing +5.5% SNP gain
The SNP cut Labour’s majority in 2007, turning the seat into a marginal one. Alex Neil, now Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, won on a considerable swing, securing a solid majority. Karen Whitefield had been an MSP since 1999 and was one of many well-kent Labour faces to lose her seat. The Liberal Democrats’ John Love lost his deposit.

Notes: Given boundary changes since 2007, variations in votes and share between seats with different boundaries would be misleading. We use the Denver figures, essentially a calculation of the 2007 votes cast within 2011 boundaries. More information on this here.

Symbols used:

* – Incumbent
^ – Challenger holding a list seat in previous Parliament
# – Lost deposit
National Central Scotland Glasgow Highlands & Islands Lothian Mid-Scotland & Fife North East Scotland South Scotland West Scotland
Airdrie and Shotts Coatbridge and Chryston Cumbernauld and Kilsyth East Kilbride Falkirk East Falkirk West Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Motherwell and Wishaw Uddingston and Bellshill