Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'Edinburgh Pentlands: Tory President Sir Malcolm Rifkind pushing at an open door, where Labour's incumbent, Lynda Clark, hardly seems to be trying.' Douglas Fraser in the Sunday Herald, April 2001.

Edinburgh Pentlands

7 th June 2001, Westminster Election

Turnout: 38,932 (65.06 %)
Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	Dr Linda Clark QC	15,797	40.58 %	- 2.43 %
	Conservative	Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC	14,055	36.10 %	+ 3.72 %
	Scottish National Party	Stewart Gibb	4,210	10.81 %	- 2.20 %
	Liberal Democrat	David Walker	4,210	10.81 %	+ 0.81 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	Jimmy Mearns	555	1.43 %	(+ 1.43 %)
	UK Independence Party	Bill McMurdo	105	0.27 %	+ 0.09 %
	Lab hold	Lab majority	1,742	4.48 %	- 6.15 %

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election

Turnout: 45,742 (76.70 %)
Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	Dr Linda Clark QC	19,675	43.01 %	+ 11.84 %
	Conservative	Malcolm Rifkind QC	14,812	32.38 %	- 7.81 %
	Scottish National Party	Stewart Gibb	5,952	13.01 %	- 2.66 %
	Liberal Democrat	Jennifer Dawe	4,575	10.00 %	- 2.68 %
	Referendum	Malcolm McDonald	422	0.92 %	(+ 0.92 %)
	Scottish Green Party	Robin Harper	224	0.49 %	(+ 0.49 %)
	UK Independence	Allistair McConnachie	81	0.18%	(+ 0.18 %)
	Lab gain from Con	Lab majority	4,862	10.63 %

Notional 1992 result

	Conservative	18,474	40.19 %
	Labour	14,326	31.17 %
	Scottish National Party	7,203	15.67 %
	Liberal Democrat	5,828	12.68 %
	Others	127	0.27 %
Con win	Con majority	4,148	9.03 %