Holyrood elections 2026 - All you need to know about Midlothian North
Fast-growing constituency where Labour says it has ‘really good chance’ of beating SNP
After 15 years linked with Musselburgh, this election sees Midlothian North become a constituency in its own right. The seat includes Dalkeith, Lasswade, Loanhead, Bonnyrigg, Roslin, Newtongrange, Mayfield, Pathhead and stretches as far south as Fala Moor.
Colin Beattie, who has been SNP MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh since 2011, is standing again after winning a selection contest despite an expectation he might decide to retire. One poll suggested Reform could be neck and neck with SNP for the seat, but word on the ground suggests it’s Labour which is running Mr Beattie close.
Mr Beattie says the issue concerning people most in the constituency is the same as everywhere else. "It's the cost of living - especially energy, the council tax, all the costs that are piling on everybody. People are feeling a bit overwhelmed."
He says the SNP manifesto contains "a whole bunch of things that will help". "To me, the biggest thing that could be done is to get energy prices down. When you look at the price of electricity in Europe, particularly France, it's a fraction of ours. Most of it is tax or levies. There's a lot that could be done to take the pressure off people."
Inevitably, potholes are another concern. "The Scottish Government is going to put £350m into dealing with potholes. Midlothian council has done a lot on that—they've put 3,000-odd tons of tar into the roads, the equivalent of two full-sized football pitches, but it's still not enough."
And he says there is also strong feeling on Lothian Buses' decision to withdraw the 46 service through Rosewell and the 48 through Mayfield. "It has caused real hardship," he says. "People can't get to work - we have nurses who can't get to the hospital on time to start their shifts.
"I've been pursuing it now for several months with Lothian Buses and latterly with Edinburgh council because there are statutory responsibilities on councils. And I will continue to pursue it if I'm re-elected."
Mr Beattie is a former treasurer of the SNP and was arrested, questioned and released without charge as part of Operation Branchform, the police investigation into the party's finances. But he says neither that controversy nor the selection challenge seemed to resonate with voters.
"Internal contests are pretty common in the SNP - people throw their hats in the ring. I got an overwhelming mandate from the membership which is very encouraging. As for Branchform, it has never come up."
And he says his prospects of getting re-elected are "looking promising".
Labour's candidate Caitlin Stott says she thinks the contest is “really close”. She says: “There’s dissatisfaction with the SNP government, the SNP council and the SNP MSP. There’s just a sense that people’s voices aren’t being heard by anybody.
“We have a fairly high profile MSP, but people don’t feel he’s very visible in the constituency. People are looking for change. They want a breath of fresh air. They’re looking for someone who will deal with things that matter to them most.”
She says Midlothian North is the fastest growing constituency in Scotland. “There are loads of houses being built in Midlothian, but people don’t feel the houses are affordable for people who actually live here.”
And she highlights the scrapping of the 46 bus as a top matter of concern. “I held a public meeting about it and 150-200 people turned up. There was no consultation about the bus route being cut. People are really feeling it in a big way - it’s affecting people’s lives, people who work in the hospital can no longer get there, and people just trying to get to Tesco.”
She mentions potholes and says the problem reflects wider issues about infrastructure. “We’ve tons of houses being built, loads of people moving into Midlothian and that gives Midlothian a massive amount of potential, but infrastructure and services are struggling to keep up. The roads are overcrowded - the Sheriffhall roundabout is an example of that; and because doctors’ surgeries are totally oversubscribed, people are waiting two or three weeks to get a GP appointment in the morning.
“People love living here, they think it’s the best place in Scotland to live, but it’s not quite living up to that potential yet.”
Ms Stott works as a Labour researcher specialising in housing and says she has a “massive passion” to tackle the housing crisis. “You see kids in temporary accommodation and the conditions they’re living in. Kids are growing up in Scotland whose parents are cooking their dinner in shower cubicles. I cannot understand any government who would say, as the SNP has said, they’re proud of their record on housing when that’s happening.”
She is sceptical about the idea Reform is doing well in the constituency. “We’re seeing much less support for them than we are seeing people saying ‘Anyone but Reform’.
“From the data we’re collecting, I think we’ve got a really, really good chance. It’s going to be tight. Many people are undecided, just not quite sure yet, but they’re pretty positive towards us too. It’s all to play for.”
Tory candidate Phil Doggart, an Edinburgh councillor, says the biggest issue people raise with him is the council tax. "People say 19 per cent in two years is ridiculous and what they're paying and what they're getting for it is a huge issue."
Cllr Doggart says the Conservatives want to see proper funding for councils. "If you expect local government to do stuff then you have to make sure their funding is adequate for the job required. People are also very unhappy with the state of the roads."
He claims there is "not much love for Mr Beattie" and says he has found "very little direct support" for Reform, despite a strong Leave vote in the area at the Brexit referendum.
He says the Tories have some core support in the constituency. "There is an element of tactical voting, but people are happy to support us on the list and that has remained strong."
Jenny Butler, chief of staff to Edinburgh West Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine, is standing for the Liberal Democrats. She lives in Eskbank and has spent time volunteering with the Borders Rail Community Partnership.
She says the party's main focus is on the list. "Votes on the regional ballot are what we're striving for, to try and get as many MSPs as possible.” In the constituency, she says, most people vote tactically to try to stop the SNP.
"Trust is the number one issue and offering something people can believe in. People say 'We just don't know if you'll do what you say'."
And she also highlights the Issue of Lothian Buses' withdrawal of services. "It removes the bus from Rosewell to the Royal Infirmary and stops people getting from A to B in quite a lot of places."
The Reform candidate is Pal Chidambaram, a former economic policy adviser at the Bank of England, who now runs a fintech start-up in Edinburgh. He is also Reform’s number two for the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list.
He says he is "a very private person" but decided to put himself forward because “the root cause of almost all the problems we face is that the finances aren't in order”.
"I've been watching this for a long time and seeing the economy going into a gradual decline, but for the last five years it has really spiralled downwards quickly - and I felt I had to do something. I went through the policies of all the parties before joining Reform. Reform has the policies in the right place.
“Reform is proposing: bring down the tax rate and make this the most tax-competitive place in the UK, so we attract people from the rest of the UK.”
Candidates
BEATTIE, Colin - Scottish National Party (SNP)
BUTLER, Jenny Claire Marr - Scottish Liberal Democrats
CHIDAMBARAM, Pal - Reform UK
DOGGART, Phil - Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
STOTT, Caitlin - Scottish Labour and Cooperative Party
2021 result
Colin Beattie SNP 21,165
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