Region Overview

Given many of the other Holyrood regions match up poorly with local government geography, Mid Scotland and Fife is refreshingly neat. It includes all of the Fife, Stirling, Clackmannanshire, and Perth and Kinross council areas – no more, no less. The original 1999 version was slightly less neat, as it also included the inland portion of Angus including Forfar and Brechin.

Compared to the core Central Belt areas to the south, this region has always been more politically diverse. By the mid 80’s, Clackmannanshire and the south of both Fife and Stirling were pretty strongly Labour. That shouldn’t be a surprise given the many mining villages and level of industry there. The North East of Fife had gone Liberal, the general resurgence of the party likely boosted there due to the presence of St Andrews University.

The rest of Stirling and all of Perthshire, which were broadly more rural and more affluent, remained Conservative. Though the SNP didn’t hold any of the core seats here, they did have an Angus seat covering much of that inland area that was initially part of the region. They were also the strongest challengers in Perthshire and Clackmannanshire, which they had won in the 70’s.

When 1997 saw the Conservatives wiped from the constituency map in Scotland, the SNP moved to take those seats, whilst Labour relieved them of Stirling. That quite neatly carved the region into an SNP north, Labour south, and Lib Dem east.

Those established patterns of support held up in 1999, with the constituencies falling exactly the same way they had in the UK Parliament in 1997 – six to Labour, two to the SNP, and the last to the Lib Dems. The SNP would pick up a further three list seats, and the Lib Dems one. Deprived of constituencies but not short of support, the Conservatives won the other three seats.


6 Labour (all Constituency)
5 SNP (3 Regional, 2 Constituency)
3 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Liberal Democrat (1 Constituency, 1 Regional)

Diverse though this region may normally be, it had a relatively muted contribution to the Rainbow Parliament. In the constituencies, the SNP translated their historic support in Clackmannanshire into winning the Ochil seat from Labour, though the rest remained as they were in 1999. All that happened on the regional list was a corresponding drop of one for the SNP, which went to the Greens.


5 Labour (all Constituency)
5 SNP (3 Constituency, 2 Regional)
3 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Liberal Democrat (1 Constituency, 1 Regional)
1 Green (Regional)

At this election, the PR element of AMS really did its job, as sweeping changes in the constituency were almost entirely balanced by opposite changes on the regional list. The SNP became the dominant force in constituencies here, gaining Stirling and Fife Central from Labour. Dunfermline West also changed hands, going from Labour to the Lib Dems. Having lost three constituencies, Labour gained exactly that many list seats, the SNP and Lib Dems each lost one, and the solitary Green departed as well.


6 SNP (5 Constituency, 1 Regional)
5 Labour (3 Regional, 2 Constituency)
3 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Liberal Democrat (all Constituency)

With an SNP tidal wave sweeping Scotland the Lib Dems collapsing, almost every seat in the region went to the SNP. Only Cowdenbeath, which remained Labour, eluded them. Despite that success the SNP still managed another list seat on top, whilst for the first time the Conservatives lost one, and the Lib Dems picked one back up in part compensation for their two lost constituencies.


9 SNP (8 Constituency, 1 Regional)
4 Labour (3 Regional, 1 Constituency)
2 Conservative (all Regional)
1 Liberal Democrat (Regional)

At the last election, though the SNP picked up Cowdenbeath from Labour, their constituency total remained static as the Lib Dems gained North East Fife. Both parties also lost a list seat, the Lib Dems because they’d effectively traded it for a constituency, and the SNP because their support dropped. Labour also lost a further list seat, whilst the Conservatives doubled their representation to four seats and 2003-07 Green MSP Mark Ruskell made his return.


8 SNP (all Constituency)
4 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Labour (all Regional)
1 Liberal Democrat (Constituency)
1 Green (Regional)

(Note: This section is based on the national polling averages as of the 1st of April.)

As much as the SNP may want to win North East Fife back, it’s highly unlikely they will. The Lib Dems won the corresponding UK Parliament seat in 2019, and if nothing else they have proven themselves masters at bedding back into a very small number of constituencies. 

That means change, if any, may come via the list. Last time round this was the only region with an “overhang”, with the SNP winning so many constituencies they impacted the intended proportionality and deprived Labour of a seat. Based on current polling, Labour are unlikely to win enough support for a third seat this time anyway.

That same overhang meant the Greens were narrowly elected to the last regional seat last time, and the Conservatives weren’t miles ahead for their fourth seat. Either of those parties could find themselves losing out if the SNP recover enough to justify a list seat, of if the Lib Dems did somehow lose North East Fife.

Region Map

Overall Regional Result 2016

Regional List Vote and MSPs Elected


#1: Conservative - Murdo Fraser
#2: Labour - Alex Rowley
#3: Conservative - Liz Smith
#4: Labour - Claire Brennan-Baker
#5: Conservative - Dean Lockhart
#6: Conservative - Alexander Stewart
#7: Green - Mark Ruskell

Constituency Vote

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Total MSPs Elected


8 SNP (all Constituency)
4 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Labour (all Regional)
1 Liberal Democrat (Constituency)
1 Green (Regional)

Regional List Candidates 2021

  1. Stefan Hoggan-Radu
  2. John Swinney
  3. Keith Brown
  4. Annabelle Ewing
  5. Jim Fairlie
  6. David Torrance
  7. Ross Cunningham
  8. Fiona Sarwar
  9. Moraig Henderson
  10. Lee Robb
  11. Rosemary Hunter
  1. Murdo Fraser
  2. Liz Smith
  3. Dean Lockhart
  4. Alexander Stewart
  5. Roz McCall
  6. Angus Forbes
  7. Rhona Metcalfe
  8. Darren Watt
  9. Moira Benny
  10. Kathleen Leslie
  11. David MacPhee
  1. Claire Baker
  2. Alex Rowley
  3. Julie MacDougall
  4. Craig Miller
  5. Chris Kane
  6. Ryan Smart
  7. Ewan Dillon
  1. Mark Ruskell
  2. Mags Hall
  3. Marion Robertson
  4. Fiona McOwan
  5. Scott Rutherford
  6. Jeroen van Leeuwen
  7. Elspeth MacLachlan
  8. Paul Vallot
  9. Amy Smith
  10. Craig McCutcheon
  1. Willie Rennie
  2. Peter Barrett
  3. Aude Boubaker-Calder
  4. Julia Brown
  5. Jane Liston
  6. Fayzan Rehman
  7. Aisha Mir
  1. Eva Comrie
  2. Neale Hanvey
  3. Jim Eadie
  4. Stephanie Reilly
  1. Linda Holt
  2. Imam Khan
  3. Brian Henderson
  4. Ian Stewart
  5. James Glen
  6. Graham Dawson
  7. Michael Saint
  1. Lisa Brackenridge
  2. Eren Sinclair
  3. Stuart Cairns
  4. Kathleen Elliott
  1. Donald Marshall
  2. Stephen Saunders
  3. Davina Saunders
  4. Anil Alexander
  5. George Carratt
  6. Linda Mair
  7. Paul Lynch
  1. Calum Paul
  2. George Morton
  1. Kenneth Morton
  2. Victoria McCann
  3. Otto Inglis
  4. Alexander Black
  5. Guy Addison
  6. Karen Morton
  1. Lynda Davis
  2. Douglas Watters
  3. George Cormack
  4. Edward McNally
  1. Bruce Henderson
  2. Stefan Diesing
  • Mercy Mugure Kamanja
  • Martin James Keatings

Clackmannanshire and Dunblane

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Keith Brown
Majority: 6721 (22.6%)
Turnout: 58.9%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Keith Brown
Conservative: Alexander Stewart
Labour: Craig Miller
Liberal Democrat: Iliyan Stefanov

Cowdenbeath

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Annabelle Ewing
Majority: 3041 (10.2%)
Turnout: 54.6%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Annabelle Ewing
Conservative: Darren Watt
Labour: Alex Rowley
Green: Mags Hall
Liberal Democrat: Malcolm Wood

Dunfermline

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Shirley-Anne Somerville
Majority: 4558 (13.9%)
Turnout: 57.1%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Shirley-Anne Somerville
Conservative: Roz McCall
Labour: Julie MacDougall
Liberal Democrat: Aude Boubaker-Calder

Kirkcaldy

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: David Torrance
Majority: 7395 (23.8%)
Turnout: 52.4%

2021 Candidates

SNP: David Torrance
Conservative: Kathleen Leslie
Labour: Claire Baker
Liberal Democrat: Alan Beal
Libertarian: Calum Paul

Mid Fife and Glenrothes

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Jenny Gilruth
Majority: 8276 (29.0%)
Turnout: 53.8%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Jenny Gilruth
Conservative: David MacPhee
Labour: Altany Craik
Liberal Democrat: Jane Liston
Family Party: Steve Saunders

North East Fife

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


Liberal Democrat: Willie Rennie
Majority: 3465 (10.2%)
Turnout: 63.1%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Rhuaraid Fleming
Conservative: Rhona Metcalfe
Labour: Wendy Haynes
Liberal Democrat: Willie Rennie

Perthshire North

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: John Swinney
Majority: 3336 (9.8%)
Turnout: 62.9%

2021 Candidates

SNP: John Swinney
Conservative: Murdo Fraser
Labour: Ryan Smart
Liberal Democrat: Peter Barrett
Family Party: Donald Marshall

Perthshire South and Kinross-shire

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Roseanna Cunningham
Majority: 1422 (3.9%)
Turnout: 61.0%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Jim Fairlie
Conservative: Liz Smith
Labour: Janine Rennie
Liberal Democrat: Julia Brown

Stirling

2016 Results

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2016 MSP & Majority


SNP: Bruce Crawford
Majority: 7035 (19.6%)
Turnout: 61.4%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Evelyn Tweed
Conservative: Dean Lockhart
Labour: Chris Kane
Liberal Democrat: Fayzan Rehman