 | 'In Scotland, the parties have a tacit agreement not to call by-elections for Westminster seats which have the same MP as MSP. But pressure on them was stepped up this week when it was reported that Scottish enterprise minister Henry McLeish, Central Fife MP/MSP, was found not to have voted in the Commons since October 19. and that Donald Dewar and Jim Wallace did so only five times out of 73 divisions.' Douglas Fraser, Political Editor in the Sunday Herald, 10 th January 2000. |  |
A large number of seats are set to change hands at the next election as no fewer than 20 of Scotland's 72 MPs - 10 Labour, five Scottish National Party, four Liberal Democrats, one Independent and one Scottish Labour- will not be standing for re-election at the next General Election.
Of the nine Members of Parliament who were first elected before the historic 1979 election that brought Margaret Thatcher to power, initially only three - Tam Dalyell (elected 1962) Dr Gavin Strang (elected 1970) and Robin Cook, elected February 1974) are not retiring from Westminster.
However, only one of the nine, Bob Maclennan (elected Labour MP for Caithness & Sutherland in 1966) is actually retiring from politics. Four MPs will continue to be parliamentarians as they are pursuing their careers as Members of the Scottish Parliament on the Mound. They are Margaret Ewing (elected as SNP MP Margaret Bain to East Dunbartonshire in October 1974) Andrew Welsh (SNP MP for Angus South in October 1974) and John Home Robertson (elected Labour MP for Berwickshire & East Lothian at the by-election in August 1978). Independent MSP Dennis Canavan (elected as Labour MP for West Stirlingshire in October 1974) has already resigned his seat to concentrate on the Scottish parliament. Before his death on the 11 th October 2000, the late First Minister, Donald Dewar (first elected as Labour MP for Aberdeen South in 1966) had also intended in giving up his Westminster seat to concentrate on Edinburgh.
The other nine MPs who are retiring from Westminster because of a dual mandate are Malcolm Chisholm (Labour Edinburgh North & Leith), Roseanna Cunningham (SNP, Perth), Dr Sam Galbraith (Labour Strathkelvin & Bearsden), Donald Gorrie (Lib Dem, Edinburgh West), Alasdair Morgan (SNP, Galloway & Upper Nithsdale), John McAllion (Labour, Dundee East), Henry McLeish (Labour, Central Fife), John Swinney (SNP, North Tayside) and Jim Wallace (Lib Dem Orkney & Shetland).
An additional six MPs are retiring from poliics. They are Maria Fyfe (Labour, Glasgow Maryhill), Dr Norman Godman (Labour, Greenock & Inverclyde), Tommy Graham ('Scottish Labour', Renfrewshire West), John Maxton (Labour, Glasgow Cathcart), Eric Clarke (Labour, Midlothian), Ray Michie (Lib Dem, Argyll & Bute).
Alex Salmond had initially decided to resign his Westminster seat, but has been asked to continue as leader of the new SNP group in the British Parliament. Stewart Stevenson, who was picked to contest the Westminster seat will now contest Banff & Buchan in a by-election after the general election when Alex salmond resigns his Scottish Parliament seat.
Two retiring MPs, the Liberal Democrats Bob Maclennan and Ray Michie were avarded peerage in the pre-election 'honours' list. Ray Michie will be following the tradition of her father, John Bannerman, who became a Liberal Peer as Lord Bannerman of Kildonan.
| MP | Westminster Constituency | Holyrood Constituency | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Canavan MP MSP1 | Labour MP for Stirlingshire West October 1974-1983 Labour MP for Falkirk West 1983- April 1999 Independent MP for Falkirk West April 1999 - 2000 |
Falkirk West |  |
| Malcolm Chisholm MP MSP | Edinburgh Leith 1992 - 1997 Edinburgh North & Leith 1997- |
Edinburgh North & Leith |  |
| Roseanna Cunningham MP MSP | Perth & Kinross 1995 (by-election) - 1997 Perth 1997 - 2001 |
Perth |  |
| Rt Hon Donald Dewar MP MSP2 | Aberdeen South 1966-1970 Glasgow Garscadden 1978 (by-election)- 1997 Glasgow Anniesland 1997 - 11 th October 2000 |
Glasgow Anniesland 1999 - 11 th October 2000 | |
| Margaret Ewing MP MSP | Dunbartonshire East October 1974 - 1979 Moray 1987 - 2001 |
Moray | |
| Dr Sam Galbraith MP MSP | Strathkelvin & Bearsden 1987 - 2001 | Strathkelvin & Bearsden | |
| Donald Gorrie MP MSP | Edinburgh West 1997 - 2001 | Central Scotland |  |
| John Home Robertson MP MSP | East Lothian 1978 (by-election) - 2001 | East Lothian | |
| Alasdair Morgan MP MSP | Galloway & Upper Nithsdale 1997 - 2001 | Galloway & Upper Nithsdale | |
| John McAllion MP MSP | Dundee East 1987 - 2001 | Dundee East | |
| Henry McLeish MP MSP | Fife Central 1987 - 2001 | Fife Central | |
| Alex Salmond MP MSP3 | Banff & Buchan 1987 - | Banff & Buchan | |
| John Swinney MP MSP | Tayside North 1997 - 2001 | Tayside North | |
| Jim Wallace MP MSP QC | Orkney & Shetland 1983 - 2001 | Orkney | |
| Andrew Welsh MP MSP | Angus South October 1974-1979 Angus East 1987 - 1997 Angus 1997 - 2001 |
Angus | |
| MP | Constituency | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Clarke MP | Midlothian 1992 - 2001 | |
| Maria Fyfe MP | Glasgow Maryhill 1987 - 2001 | |
| Dr Norman Godman MP | Greenock & Port Glasgow 1983 - 1997 Greenock & Inverclyde 1997 - 2001 |
|
| Tommy Graham MP | Renfrewfrew West & Inverclyde 1987 - 1997 Renfrewfrewshire West 1997 - 2001 |
|
| John Maxton MP | Glasgow Cathcart 1979 - 2001 | |
| Robert MacLennan MP | Caithness & Sutherland 1966 - 1997 Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross 1997 - 2001 (Labour 1966 - 1981, Lib Dem 1981 -) |
|
| Ray Michie MP | Argyll & Bute 1987 -2001 | |
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