Dumfries LAB Hold

Scottish Parliament election

constituency

	Dumfries	LAB Hold

	CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES	%	+/-%
	Elaine Murray	LAB	12834	40.0	+3.2
	David Mundell	CON	11738	36.6	+9.3
	Andrew Wood	SNP	3931	12.2	-7.6
	Clare Hamblen	LD	2394	7.5	-8.7
	John Dennis	SSP	1213	3.8	+3.8
		MAJORITY	1096	3.4
		TURNOUT	32110	52.2

ELECTORATE	61517

Top-up region: South of Scotland

DESCRIPTION: Dumfries

Dumfries is a large, rural seat in the south-west of Scotland, north of the Solway Firth, with industry centred on agriculture, tourism, textiles and forestry. There is some light engineering but the only heavy industry is boilermaking, found on the outskirts of Annan. Tourists are attracted by the scenery, which includes the Lowther Hills and Eskdalemuir Forest, and also by the towns of Gretna, Lochmaben (supposedly the birthplace of Robert the Bruce) and Dumfries. Lockerbie, tragically made famous by the crashing of the bombed Pan-Am jumbo jet there in 1988, is also in the seat. This area was devastated by the 2001 foot-and-mouth epidemic; the farming and tourism are still recovering.

Tory grandee Sir Hector Munro was the MP from 1964-97, his retirement coinciding with Labour’s landslide. The 1999 result meant the party represented Dumfries at both Holyrood and Westminster. Deputy Culture Minister Dr Elaine Murray became the MSP with a majority of 3,654.

PREVIOUS RESULTS

	1999 SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ELECTION		LAB WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LAB	14101	36.7
	CON	10447	27.2
	SNP	7625	19.9
	LD	6209	16.2

	2001 GENERAL ELECTION		LAB WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LAB	20830	48.9
	CON	11996	28.2
	LD	4955	11.6
	SNP	4103	9.6
	SSP	702	1.6