Perth and North Perthshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Coordinates: 56°23′42″N 3°26′06″W / 56.395°N 3.435°W / 56.395; -3.435

Perth and North Perthshire
County constituency
for the House of Commons

Outline map

Boundary of Perth and North Perthshire in Scotland.
Subdivisions of Scotland Perth and Kinross
Current constituency
Created 2005
Member of parliament Pete Wishart (SNP)
Created from Perth,
North Tayside
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency Scotland

Perth and North Perthshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Boundaries

Council areas
grouped by the Fifth Periodical Review[1]
Clackmannanshire and Perth and Kinross

As a result of the Fifth Periodical Review[1] of the Boundary Commission for Scotland, the constituency was created to cover a northern portion of the Perth and Kinross council area, and first used in the 2005 general election. Ochil and South Perthshire was created, at the same time, to cover the rest of the Perth and Kinross council area and the Clackmannanshire council area.

Prior to the 2005 election, the council areas had been covered by the Angus, Ochil, Perth and North Tayside constituencies. The Perth constituency was entirely within the Perth and Kinross council area, the North Tayside constituency covered a northern portion of the Perth and Kinross council area and a northern portion of the Angus council area, the Angus constituency covered a small southeastern portion of the Perth and Kinross council area, a southern portion of the Angus council area, and northern portions of the Dundee City council area, and the Ochil constituency covered another southeastern portion of the Perth and Kinross council area, the whole of the Clackmannanshire council area and a southeastern portion of the Stirling council area.

Perth and North Perthshire replaced part of the North Tayside constituency and part of the Perth constituency.

Constituency profile

The Perth and North Perthshire constituency stretches across the north of the Perth and Kinross local council area in Scotland. It is an affluent, predominantly rural seat with successful livestock and fruit-growing industries. Tourism also forms a significant part of the local economy. Towards the south of the constituency, around the River Tay, lies the city of Perth and its adjacent villages. Perth includes a mix of affluent middle class suburbs to the south-west and more deprived council housing around the north of the city.

Perth and North Perthshire is a historical battleground constituency between the Conservatives and the SNP. From the establishment of the Perth and East Perthshire constituency in 1950 the area traditionally returned MP's belonging to the Unionist Party (and subsequently MP's from the Conservative and Unionist Party after the two parties merged in 1965). The seat was one of 11 constituencies in Scotland to elect an SNP MP to Parliament at the 1974 October general election. With a rearrangement of UK Parliament constituencies in 1979 the constituency's successor seat of North Tayside went on to return Conservative Bill Walker to Parliament until being gained by the SNP's John Swinney at the 1997 UK general election - from which point the seat went on to return MP's belonging to the Scottish National Party. At the Scottish Parliament the North Tayside, later replaced by the Perthshire North, constituency has been represented by the SNP's John Swinney since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. The Conservatives narrowly missed out on gaining the Perth and North Perthshire constituency at the 2005 UK general election, with Conservative Douglas Taylor coming behind the SNP's Pete Wishart by 1,521 votes. In subsequent elections Pete Wishart has increased his majority substantially, taking the constituency with 9,641 votes ahead of the Conservatives in 2015. At the Scottish Parliament the SNP's John Swinney saw his majority slashed by two-thirds in 2016, polling ahead of Conservative Murdo Fraser by 3,336 votes.

Member of Parliament

ElectionMember[2] Party
2005 Pete Wishart SNP
2010
2015

Election results

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Perth and North Perthshire[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
SNP Pete Wishart[5] 27,379 50.5 +10.9
Conservative Alexander Stewart[6] 17,738 32.7 +2.2
Labour Scott Nicholson[7] 4,413 8.1 -8.3
Liberal Democrats Peter Barrett[8] 2,059 3.8 -8.5
Scottish Green Louise Ramsay[9] 1,146 2.1 n/a
UKIP John Myles[10] 1,110 2.0 n/a
Independent Xander McDade[11] 355 0.7 n/a
Majority 9,641 17.8 +8.7
Turnout 54,200 74.8 +7.9
SNP hold Swing +4.3
General Election 2010: Perth and North Perthshire[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
SNP Pete Wishart 19,118 39.6 +5.9
Conservative Peter Lyburn 14,739 30.5 +0.2
Labour Jamie Glackin 7,923 16.4 −2.3
Liberal Democrats Peter Barrett 5,954 12.3 −3.8
Trust Douglas Taylor 534 1.1 N/A
Majority 4,379 9.1 +5.8
Turnout 48,268 66.9 +2.1
SNP hold Swing +2.9

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Perth and North Perthshire[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
SNP Pete Wishart 15,469 33.7 n/a
Conservative Douglas Taylor 13,948 30.4 n/a
Labour Doug Maughan 8,601 18.7 n/a
Liberal Democrats Gordon Campbell 7,403 16.1 n/a
Scottish Socialist Philip Stott 509 1.1 n/a
Majority 1,521 3.3
Turnout 45,930 64.8 n/a

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 5th Periodical Report, Boundary Commission for Scotland website
  2. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "P" (part 1)
  3. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  4. ↑ http://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/11275/UK-Parliamentary-General-Election-results 8Aug15
  5. ↑ http://www.pkc.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=30194&p=0
  6. ↑ http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/perth-conservative-councillor-announces-hes-4816208#rlabs=1
  7. ↑ http://www.pkc.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=30194&p=0
  8. ↑ http://www.libdems.org.uk/general_election_candidates#Scotland
  9. ↑ http://www.pkc.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=30194&p=0
  10. ↑ http://www.pkc.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=30194&p=0
  11. ↑ http://www.pkc.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=30194&p=0
  12. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  13. ↑ BBC - Election 2010 - Perth & Perthshire North
  14. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
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