Edinburgh North and Leith (UK Parliament constituency) facts for kids

Edinburgh North and Leith is an area in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is called a constituency because it elects one person to represent it in the UK Parliament. The UK Parliament is located in Westminster, London.

The person elected to represent the area is called a Member of Parliament (MP). This constituency first started for the 1997 general election. The MP is chosen using a system called "first past the post." This means the candidate with the most votes wins.

There was also a similar area for the Scottish Parliament created in 1999. It had the same name and boundaries at first. However, the boundaries for the UK Parliament constituency changed in 2005. The Scottish Parliament area kept its older boundaries until 2011. Now, this area is mostly split between other Scottish Parliament constituencies. These include Edinburgh Northern and Leith and Edinburgh Central. A small part is also in Edinburgh Western.

In 2014, there was a vote on whether Scotland should become an independent country. In Edinburgh North and Leith, most people (60%) voted for Scotland to stay in the United Kingdom. About 40% voted for independence.

In 2016, people in the UK voted on whether to stay in the European Union. This constituency strongly voted to remain in the European Union. About 78% of voters here wanted to stay. This was one of the highest "Remain" votes in the whole country.

What is Edinburgh North and Leith Like?

This area is a busy city part of Edinburgh. It has many well-off areas and tends to vote for left-leaning political parties. It covers several northern parts of the city. It also includes most of Leith, which used to be a separate town but joined Edinburgh in 1920.

Many people in this constituency live in flats or "tenements." These are large buildings divided into many homes. It also has many university graduates. You'll find a mix of places here. There are leafy, expensive homes in the south and west. Closer to Leith, there are more crowded areas with young professionals and students. There are also older residents whose families have lived there for many years.

Some famous places in this constituency include:

• Calton Hill, a hill with important monuments.
• The shops and offices on the north side of Princes Street, a main shopping street.
• Bute House, which is the official home of the First Minister of Scotland.
• St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral.
• The Edinburgh Playhouse, a large theatre.
• The Edinburgh Waterfront, a modern area by the sea.
• Parts of the Water of Leith, a river that flows through Edinburgh.
• The Royal Botanical Gardens, a beautiful place with many plants.
• The Western General Hospital.
• Several well-known private schools.

How the Boundaries Changed

When the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency was first created in 1997, it mostly replaced an older constituency called Edinburgh Leith. At that time, there were six constituencies covering the City of Edinburgh council area. One of them, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, included parts of both Edinburgh and East Lothian.

The boundaries for constituencies in Scotland were changed for the 2005 election. The number of constituencies in Edinburgh was reduced from six to five. Each of these new constituencies was entirely within the city. Musselburgh was then reunited with the rest of East Lothian.

The new Edinburgh North and Leith constituency created in 2005 included all of the old one. It also added the Dean area from Edinburgh Central and the Craigleith area from Edinburgh West. This means the area covered by the constituency grew larger.

Since 2007, the constituency now includes parts of several new, larger local areas called "wards." These include parts of Leith, Leith Walk, Forth, Inverleith, and City Centre.

Members of Parliament

Here are the people who have been elected as the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith since it was created:

Recent Election Results

The most recent election for this constituency was the General Election in 2019.

• Deidre Brock from the SNP won this election. She has been the MP for this area since 2015.
• Before 2015, the constituency was represented by Mark Lazarowicz from the Labour Co-op party, who won in 2001 and 2010.
• The first MP for this constituency in 1997 was Malcolm Chisholm from the Labour party.

See also

• Politics of Edinburgh