Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (UK Parliament constituency)

Not to be confused with Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (Scottish Parliament constituency).

Edinburgh East and Musselburgh is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (at Westminster). It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
Burgh constituency for the House of Commons
Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
Location within Scotland
Subdivisions of Scotland	City of Edinburgh East Lothian
Electorate	75,705 (March 2020)[1]
Current constituency
Created	2024
Member of Parliament	Chris Murray (Labour)
Seats	One
Created from	Edinburgh East
1997–2005
Created from	Edinburgh East
Replaced by	Edinburgh East East Lothian

In its present form, the constituency was established as part of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies and under the final recommendations of the Boundary Commission for Scotland, replacing Edinburgh East. It has been held by Labour politician Chris Murray since the 2024 general election.^[2]

The constituency had previously existed from 1997 to 2005. In 1999, a Scottish Parliament constituency was created with the same name and boundaries and was used until 2011. See headnote above.

Boundaries

The constituency covers an eastern portion of the City of Edinburgh council area and most of the Musselburgh ward of the East Lothian council area. It is one of six constituencies covering the City of Edinburgh area, and one of two covering the East Lothian area. The constituency is predominantly urban.

It comprises the following:

• In full: the City of Edinburgh Council wards of Craigentinny/Duddingston and Portobello/Craigmillar.
• In part: the City of Edinburgh Council wards of City Centre (Old Town area), Leith Walk (small area), Leith (small area) and Southside/Newington (small part comprising the South Side area).
• In part: the East Lothian Council ward of Musselburgh (majority including the town of Musselburgh).^[3][4]

The parts in the City of Edinburgh comprise the former constituency of Edinburgh East, except the area of Prestonfield, which was transferred to Edinburgh South. The part in East Lothian Council was transferred from the East Lothian constituency (renamed Lothian East).

When the original constituency was abolished for the 2005 general election, most of it was merged into the new Edinburgh East constituency. The rest of it, the Musselburgh area, was merged into the East Lothian constituency.^[5]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member [6]	Party
	1997	Gavin Strang	Labour
2005		constituency abolished – see Edinburgh East
	2024	Chris Murray	Labour

Election results

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Edinburgh East and Musselburgh^[7][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Chris Murray	18,790	41.2	+14.8
	SNP	Tommy Sheppard	15,075	33.1	−15.9
	Scottish Green	Amanda Grimm	4,669	10.2	+6.6
	Conservative	Marie-Clair Munro	2,598	5.7	−8.4
	Reform UK	Derek Winton	2,129	4.7	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Charles Dundas	1,949	4.3	−2.7
	Independent	Jane Gould	365	0.8	N/A
Majority			3,715	8.1	N/A
Turnout			45,575	59.8	−9.0
Registered electors			76,188
	Labour gain from SNP		Swing	+14.3

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[a][9]
Party		Vote	%
	Scottish National Party	25,587	49.0
	Labour	13,791	26.4
	Conservative	7,354	14.1
	Liberal Democrats	3,642	7.0
	Scottish Greens	1,879	3.6
Majority		11,796	22.6
Turnout		52,253	69.0
Electorate		75,705

Elections of the 2000s

General election 2001: Edinburgh East and Musselburgh^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gavin Strang	18,124	52.6	−1.0
	SNP	Rob Munn	5,956	17.3	−1.8
	Liberal Democrats	Gary Peacock	4,981	14.5	+3.8
	Conservative	Peter Finnie	3,906	11.3	−4.1
	Scottish Socialist	Derek Durkin	1,487	4.3	New
Majority			12,168	35.3	+0.8
Turnout			34,454	58.2	−12.4
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections of the 1990s

General election 1997: Edinburgh East and Musselburgh^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gavin Strang	22,564	53.6
	SNP	Derrick White	8,034	19.1
	Conservative	Kenneth F. Ward	6,483	15.4
	Liberal Democrats	Callum I. MacKellar	4,511	10.7
	Referendum	James A. Sibbet	526	1.2
Majority			14,530	34.5
Turnout			42,118	70.6
	Labour win (new seat)

See also

• Politics of Edinburgh

Notes

1. Estimate of the 2019 general election result as if the revised boundaries recommended under the 2023 boundary review were in place