Marginal Seats

'The Liberal Democrat UK manifesto gave English voters a taste of the half truths being peddled north of the border. 'In Scotland, where the Liberal Democrats are part of the government, we have already guaranteed free personal care,' its front page boasted. 'We have also abolished tuition fees.' Both claims are untrue. The Lib Dems in Scotland voted against free personal care - twice. A 'review' had been set up thanks to a Labour U-turn. Nothing had been 'guaranteed'. Neither had the Scottish tuition fee been 'abolished'. It was reduced to a flat £2,000, renamed and made payable on graduation.' Fraser Nelson in The Times Guide to the House of Commons, July 2001.

Most Marginal Seats

The following table indicates the most marginal seats in Scotland had the election of 7 th July 2001 been fought on the new boundaries.

Key

Labour	Scottish National Party	Conservative & Unionist	Liberal Democrat	Scottish Socialist Party	Speaker

Most Marginal Seats

Rank	Constituency	Majority	% Majority	1st	%	2nd	%	3rd	%	4th	%
1	Dumfries & Galloway	141	0.28 %		32.36 %		32.08 %		25.09 %		8.85 %
2	Dundee East	496	1.29 %		37.35 %		36.06 %		15.34 %		8.70 %
3	Angus	532	1.52 %		33.16 %		31.64 %		18.26 %		14.75 %
4	Ochil & South Perthshire	821	1.83 %		33.39 %		31.56 %		22.05 %		10.48 %
5	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey	1,134	2.65 %		32.18 %		29.53 %		22.98 %		12.30 %
6	Moray	1,852	5.06 %		29.40 %		24.33 %		22.91 %		17.96 %
7	East Dunbartonshire	2,601	6.29 %		33.33 %		27.05 %		22.45 %		14.74 %
8	Na h-Eileanan An Iar	1,074	8.16 %		45.02 %		36.86 %		9.50 %		6.45 %
9	Argyll & Bute	3,832	9.16 %		32.82 %		23.66 %		22.70 %		17.45 %
10	Aberdeen South	3,931	9.49 %		38.04 %		28.55 %		19.81 %		12.23 %
11	Perth & North Perthshire	5,020	11.00 %		35.99 %		24.99 %		24.44 %		12.07 %
12	Edinburgh West	5,320	11.86 %		38.31 %		26.45 %		21.68 %		10.68 %
13	Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale	5,254	12.24 %		37.42 %		23.71 %		22.15 %		14.53 %
14	West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine	5,146	13.44 %		43.97 %		30.53 %		12.27 %		12.14 %
15	Edinburgh South	5,785	13.95 %		39.28 %		25.33 %		22.71 %		9.26 %
16	Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross	4,078	14.35 %		38.63 %		24.29 %		20.33 %		13.48 %
17	Gordon	6,845	17.36 %		38.82 %		21.45 %		19.31 %		18.95 %
18	Edinburgh South West	7,951	17.91 %		44.40 %		26.49 %		13.37 %		11.67 %
19	East Renfrewshire	9,141	18.90 %		47.63 %		28.73 %		12.90 %		8.55 %
20	Stirling	8,303	19.28 %		43.01 %		23.73 %		17.07 %		11.52 %
21	Orkney & Shetland	3,475	20.77 %		41.35 %		20.58 %		18.65 %		14.78 %
22	Ross, Skye & Lochaber	6,567	21.26 %		44.27 %		23.01 %		17.64 %		10.26 %
23	Edinburgh North & Leith	8,688	21.56 %		41.87 %		20.31 %		18.65 %		14.39 %
24	Dundee West	8,410	22.54 %		50.29 %		27.75 %		9.21 %		8.90 %
25	Central Ayrshire	9,772	22.96 %		49.20 %		26.24 %		14.56 %		6.36 %
26	Aberdeen North	9,294	23.66 %		49.29 %		25.63 %		12.23 %		10.46 %
27	Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk	10,770	24.80 %		46.79 %		21.99 %		16.92 %		11.38 %
28	North East Fife	9,686	26.20 %		49.11 %		22.90 %		14.36 %		10.67 %
29	Linlithgow & East Falkirk	11,769	26.40 %		51.83 %		25.37 %		10.11 %		9.79 %
30	Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock	12,387	26.56 %		51.33 %		24.77 %		13.69 %		7.19 %
31	North Ayrshire & Arran	12,140	27.33 %		48.37 %		21.04 %		17.47 %		8.78 %
32	Banff & Buchan	9,744	27.37 %		48.89 %		21.53 %		13.85 %		13.47 %
33	Lanark & Hamilton East	12,861	28.59 %		50.52 %		21.93 %		12.51 %		11.32 %
34	Inverclyde	11,314	29.06 %		50.22 %		21.17 %		14.01 %		10.82 %
35	East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow	13,999	29.29 %		52.98 %		23.69 %		10.01 %		9.70 %
36	Glasgow North	8,023	29.36 %		48.36 %		19.00 %		16.37 %		8.20 %
37	Paisley & Renfrewshire North	12,417	29.58 %		51.25 %		22.67 %		13.74 %		7.55 %
38	Falkirk	13,555	30.17 %		53.75 %		23.58 %		8.43 %		6.82 %
39	Kilmarnock & Loudoun	13,621	30.58 %		54.94 %		24.44 %		10.05 %		7.60 %
40	Midlothian	12,017	31.29 %		50.51 %		19.22 %		17.27 %		9.21 %
41	East Lothian	14,011	31.73 %		48.89 %		17.16 %		16.04 %		14.87 %
42	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East	12,667	31.79 %		57.79 %		26.00 %		6.10 %		5.06 %
43	Livingston	13,638	31.88 %		55.22 %		23.34 %		9.87 %		7.61 %
44	Edinburgh East	12,808	32.56 %		49.74 %		17.18 %		16.43 %		11.11 %
45	Glasgow South	13,042	33.15 %		50.49 %		17.31 %		13.76 %		12.41 %
46	Glasgow North West	10,405	33.47 %		51.63 %		18.17 %		15.43 %		8.05 %
47	Glasgow Central	9,382	33.82 %		54.71 %		20.89 %		9.57 %		6.54 %
48	Glenrothes	12,988	33.95 %		57.93 %		23.98 %		7.88 %		7.47 %
49	Paisley & Renfrewshire South	13,968	36.10 %		56.99 %		20.89 %		9.57 %		8.39 %
50	Motherwell & Wishaw	13,778	36.33 %		56.75 %		20.45 %		9.44 %		8.69 %
51	Dunfermline & West Fife	14,845	36.64 %		54.47 %		17.83 %		14.25 %		9.67 %
52	Glasgow North West	13,231	38.83 %		54.90 %		16.06 %		11.66 %		9.37 %
53	Airdrie & Shotts	13,545	39.46 %		58.63 %		19.17 %		7.86 %		6.12 %
54	West Dunbartonshire	18,169	39.49 %		63.49 %		24.00 %		5.04 %		5.02 %
55	Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath	16,238	39.91 %		58.51 %		18.60 %		10.60 %		9.15 %
56	Rutherglen & Hamilton West	18,504	44.42 %		59.66 %		15.24 %		11.67 %		8.59 %
57	Glasgow South West	14,687	44.42 %		61.91 %		17.48 %		9.47 %		5.47 %
58	Glasgow East	15,238	46.62 %		63.72 %		17.10 %		6.94 %		6.10 %
59	Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill	22,092	54.55 %		69.31 %		14.75 %		5.57 %		5.14 %