It has been confirmed that the Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency will be divided into two separate constituencies for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
The newly defined constituencies will be Edinburgh Northern, and Edinburgh North-Eastern and Leith.
Ben Macpherson, the Scottish National Party (SNP) MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith since 2016, has announced his intention to stand for the new Edinburgh North-Eastern and Leith seat.
In a social media post, Macpherson explained that his current constituency is “being split in half in 2026 due to boundary changes because of population growth.”
Other candidates who have announced their intention to run for the new seat include former Leith council leader Adam Nols-McVey and political activist Andrew Ewen.
Boundaries Scotland, an independent body, has drawn up revised constituency boundaries. The body reviews electoral boundaries and population distribution every eight to twelve years.
This change follows a similar adjustment in the 2024 UK General Election when the Westminster constituency boundaries for Edinburgh North and Leith were redrawn.
Between 2015 and 2024, Diedre Brock, representing the SNP, held the seat. However, following the boundary changes and the election, Labour’s Tracy Gilbert won it.
The new constituency boundaries will restructure the political landscape in Edinburgh as the 2026 election approaches.
Voter awareness and attitudes toward the new electoral map will play a significant role in the coming months.
“Debating chamber, Scottish Parliament (31-05-2006)” by User:pschemp is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.