Holyrood elections 2026: All you need to know about the new seat of Falkirk East and Linlithgow
Former MP seeking election to new seat with old name
The SNP's Martyn Day lost his Commons seat as MP for Linlithgow and Falkirk East at the general election in 2024 after nine years in the role.
But now he's bidding to enter Holyrood as MSP for a new seat with the same name.
Since the start of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, Linlithgow has been a constituency in its own right - though aslo including Bathgate, Armadale, Broxburn, Uphall and Winchburgh - which has been represented since 2011 by Fiona Hyslop for the SNP, who is now retiring.
Falkirk East has also been a constituency throughout the time of the parliament and was most recently represented by the SNP's Michelle Thomson, who is also standing down.
Mr Day says three-quarters of the new constituency was in his Westminster seat. The new seat includes all of the Falkirk part of his old seat plus a bit more, but only Linlithgow from West Lothian.
He says the election feels "a lot better than 2024" though not back to the levels of support the party had in 2021. He notes the opposition is more split than it was before, and judges the situation "encouraging".
He says he looks forward to the new challenge if he is elected. “I think you can affect people's lives in a better way from the Scottish Parliament, get hands-on more. A lot of the procedures are more modern - I'm not saying they couldn't be improved, but they're better than Westminster."
In the Commons, Mr Day served as SNP health spokesperson and took a special interest in diet, nutrition and healthy eating. And he welcomes SNP plans to tackle the cost of food not just as a way of easing the cost of living, but also promoting health and wellbeing.
"I think the price cap on an essential basket is a positive way of trying to address some of that. I think also, from a constitutional point of view, it's a great way of showing this is what we can do with the limited power, whereas if you had full power you'd be able to tax ultra-processed foods and subsidise healthier foods. We can't do that, but we can use the powers we've got to make a difference for folk at the hardest end."
Labour candidate Siobhan Paterson is a councillor in Falkirk, elected in 2022 to represent Upper Braes ward. A graduate of Stirling University, she has worked as a social care worker for nearly 13 years.
She is a mother of two and has campaigned for more women to be elected to councils and parliaments.
Paul McGarry, the Lib Dem candidate for the seat, is also top of the list for the Lib Dems in the Central Scotland and Lothian West region, where the party hopes to get a seat.
”This has been a really good campaign for us and the polls are reflecting increased support for the party,” he says. “People want change and I think they're looking for a party that will deliver that in a way that's fair and sensible. People have noticed how we delivered in the budget through sensible politics.”
The Lib Dems agreed to support the SNP budget earlier this year after negotiating extra funding to help businesses hit by huge rates rises, as well as money for colleges and social care.
“Housing is an issue that keeps coming up,” says Mr McGarry. “People are worried about the lack of affordable housing and particularly whether their children will be able to get a house. We've been able to talk about our commitment to providing grants for people to restore homes and bring them up to standard. If someone inherits a home, it can cost a lot of money to bring it up to a standard that it can be sold or rented and people don't necessarily have that and very quickly a house can become dilapidated.
“As a chid I was homeless and one of the things I would like to bring into parliament is a real compassion around supporting people who have experienced homelessness.”
He says the Lib Dem manifesto includes a youth guarantee that any young homeless person will be supported by training, education and employment opportunities to break the cycle so that no young person is homeless and they are given the opportunity to succeed. And he says it also proposes that any child experiencing homelessness is given the same support as someone who is care-experienced currently receives.
Lewis Stein, the Conservative candidate, is 22 and says he was inspired to get involved in politics by the community activism of an independent councillor in Falkirk. He joined the Conservatives after watching the Scottish Parliament on TV and concluding they were the only ones providing real opposition to the SNP.
He cites GP appointments as a key issue. “It’s the usual thing, phoning up, eventually getting through and getting a telephone consultation if you're lucky. People have talked about walk-in clinics, but we’re not getting one. The nearest is a good 45 minute drive away.
“During the pandemic I worked as a carer for a family member where a care package wasn’t available, so I relate a lot to things like delayed discharge, where people are stuck in hospital taking up beds.”
Other concerns he lists include potholes, real-terms cuts for councils, education standards and business owners worried about National Insurance increases and rates valuation.
The Reform candidate is Amanda Bland. The party says her professional background spans roles in law, child protection, safeguarding and education and she is a qualified and experienced teacher.
And there is also an independent candidate, Ian Wallace El-Paget, who describes himself as a resilience specialist and says: “I'm standing as an independent candidate to focus on practical, local solutions that our communities deserve.” He says he worked in “the faith sector of community development in various communities in Scotland and Canada” between 1997-2011. And he wants to see community resilience hubs and legal education on consent and sexual offences.
Candidates
DAY, Martyn - Scottish National Party (SNP)
EL-PAGET, Ian Wallace - Independent
MCGARRY, Paul - Scottish Liberal Democrats
PATERSON, Siobhan - Scottish Labour Party
STEIN, Lewis - Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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