Banff & Buchan SNP Hold

Scottish Parliament election

constituency

	Banff & Buchan	SNP Hold

	CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES	%	+/-%
	Stewart Stevenson	SNP	13827	52.9	+0.3
	Stewart Whyte	CON	5463	20.9	+3.9
	Iain Brotchie	LAB	2885	11.0	-2.6
	Debra Storr	LD	2227	8.5	-8.2
	Alan Buchan	SPA	907	3.5	+3.5
	Alice Rowan	SSP	840	3.2	+3.2
		MAJORITY	8364	32.0
		TURNOUT	26149	47.2

ELECTORATE	55358

Top-up region: North East Scotland

DESCRIPTION: Banff & Buchan

This seat comprises a long stretch of North Sea coastline and agricultural areas inland. Peterhead and Fraserburgh are both major fishing ports. The EU's recent decision to cut cod quotas by 45% and restrict fishing boats to 15 days at sea per month will hit this constituency particularly hard. The Scottish executive announced a £50m compensation package in January 2003 but this has been criticised by fishermen’s leaders. The oil and gas industry is also important here.

Banff and Buchan is held by SNP leader at Westminster Alex Salmond, and the SNP’s Stewart Stevenson won the Holyrood seat in 1999. This area has in its history a long tradition of Conservative representation, though Mr Salmond was not the first Scottish Nationalist to get elected here - Douglas Henderson represented the seat for the SNP from February 1974 to 1979. Mr Salmond regained it from the Tories in 1987. The then leader won the Holyrood seat in 1999 with 53% of the vote. In July 2000 he made the surprise announcement that he was standing down as party leader. In January 2001 he decided to leave the Scottish Parliament and remain at Westminster in order to give his successor as leader, John Swinney, space to make his mark. The Holyrood by-election saw Mr Stevenso, Alex Salmond’s former driver, retain the seat for the SNP.

PREVIOUS RESULTS

	1999 SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ELECTION		SNP WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	SNP	16695	52.6
	CON	5403	17
	LD	5315	16.7
	LAB	4321	13.6

	2001 GENERAL ELECTION		SNP WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	SNP	16710	54.2
	CON	6207	20.1
	LAB	4363	14.2
	LD	2769	9
	SSP	447	1.5
	UKIP	310	1