General election 2024: All you need to know about Edinburgh North and Leith

After 70 years as a Labour stronghold, Leith switched to the SNP in 2015 - along with most of Scotland - and has stuck with the party since. But now the seat is one of the key battlegrounds between the SNP and Labour and both sides predict a close result.

The constituency includes not only the port of Leith, but also Pilrig, Broughton, the New Town, Stocbridge, Inverleith, Warriston, Trinity, Granton, Pilton and Muirhouse.

Deidre Brock has held the seat for the SNP since 2015 but Labour's Tracy Gilbert is bidding to win it on July 4. | collage

Deidre Brock has been the SNP MP for the past nine years and served on the city council for eight years before that, including a spell as Deputy Lord Provost.

“It's definitely tight between myself and Labour,” she says. But she claims voters are not impressed by either of the big UK parties.

“Folk feel their voices aren't being listened to and their values aren't being reflected in the priorities of the Westminster political bubble. They're really feeling very disconnected after years of policies that have made their lives harder and punished the poor. 

“We have a number of areas of real deprivation in the constituency and we’ve seen people's benefits cut by cruel initiatives like the two-child benefit cap; we've seen child poverty rise on the back of the Universal Credit introduction; .and I don't think they feel these issues are being properly addressed in this election by either of the two parties that are going to form the next UK government.”

She says the assumption that Labour will win and the party’s “extraordinary” poll ratings have led to “growing concern” about the size of Labour’s likely majority.

“People are worried that Scotland will be overlooked and ignored again once this election is over. And the feedback I get is they are looking to the SNP to provide MPs who will focus just on Scotland's interests and not just go down to Westminster to form part of the backbenches of a Labour government with a massive majority.”

Ms Brock takes comfort from some of the latest polls which show Labour and the SNP neck and neck across Scotland. “The polls are tightening, and we’re working really hard, knocking doors and talking to as many people as we can.” 

Labour’s candidate is Tracy Gilbert, who grew up in Penicuik but has lived in Leith all her adult life. She was a housing benefit officer with Edinburgh council, then worked for Unison before moving to shopworkers union Usdaw, where she has been for 24 years and now serves as regional secretary for Scotland.

“We're working hard, taking absolutely nothing for granted, but door-by-door speaking to people,” she says. “There’s so much potential in this area - I'm just hopeful that with a Labour government we can deliver that economic growth.  Edinburgh is really a tale of two cities - there's people who have and there’s too many people being left behind. My priority is to make sure everybody has that opportunity and that fits with Labour's manifesto and investing in people.”

She says economic growth would mean better funding for all the things the party wants to do quickly. “But the main priority has to be the cost of living and getting people's bills down through delivery of Great British Energy so we can have more regulated gas and electric for people; and making sure we’ve got planning resolved so that we can build more social housing for people and start to tackle the housing emergency - not only does that provide people with secure homes, it also provides kids with secure education because they aren't having to move home.” 

She says Leith is a fantastic place to live. “I just want to deliver that change for our community.  I just want to get my sleeves rolled up and start to make a difference.

“Hardworking families are really struggling - work just isn’t paying for people. The new deal for working people will lift 200,000 families straight onto a Living Wage, which will be fantastic and help to reduce poverty. And we're also committed to reviewing Universal Credit, which will really help a lot of families.

“But we can't deliver change without people voting for it . Otherwise, we could end up with another five years of the Tories.  The best way to secure a strong voice for the community is to have  a Labour MP sitting round the table with a Labour government, influencing policy not just shouting and being a protest vote.”

Tory candidate Joanna Mowat is a councillor for the City Centre ward, which covers part of the constituency. “I know the area,” she says. “I've lived here for 30 years and campaigned in the area for even longer.”

Roads and pavements, cycle lanes, NHS and education are the issues coming up on the doorstep. She says people are polite but "slightly disinterested in what we've got to say". But she adds: “I'm always going to go out there and put a positive Conservative message because I think we are starting to turn the corner and we have got a plan to deliver improved public services and one of the issues has got to be reducing taxes."

She says the fact that so many pupils in Edinburgh go to private schools means there is “a real issue” here about Labour's plan for VAT on these schools. “When you've got 25 per cent of your population in these schools, there is a proportion who may decide not to send their children to private schools next year and every secondary school in the constituency is full, that's a question of whether kids go to school.”

The Lib Dems are fielding Mike Andersen, who is originally from South Africa, came to live in Edinburgh two years ago and works in the pharmaceutical industry, negotiating contracts for clinical trials.

He names the cost of living and climate change as key issues for voters. “And with 78 per cent of this constituency having voted to remain in the EU, I'm very keen to undo some of the worst damage of Brexit and move closer to Europe and rejoin the single market.”

But he’s also worried about disillusionment.  “One of the reasons I became active in politics was I was very upset at seeing the number of people who had become disillusioned with politics, believed their voice wasn’t heard or they didn’t count or there was no point in voting. That’s a very sad state of affairs to be in. People have fought very hard for votes across the world and I want to see people trusting the politicians they send to Westminster and know that their votes count.”

Green candidate Kayleigh O’Neill is a councillor for Forth ward in the constituency. She has worked for Euan’s Guide and Inclusion Scotland and now works part-time for Green MSP Lorna Slater.

The Reform UK candidate is Alan Melville, who has previously stood for Ukip. Niel Deepnarain is standing for the pro-family, anti-abortion Scottish Family Party. David Jacobsen is the candidate for Arthur Scargill’s Socialist Labour Party. Richard Shillcock represents the Communist Party of Britain. And there is an independent, Caroline Waterloo, who is part of new political grouping Edinburgh People, which is urging voters: “Don not elect politicians again. Elect people.”

Candidates

Mike Andersen - Scottish Liberal Democrats 

Deidre Brock - Scottish National Party (SNP)

Niel Deepnarain - Scottish Family Party – Defending Traditional Values

Tracy Gilbert - Scottish Labour Party

David Don Jacobsen - Socialist Labour Party

Alan Gordon Melville - Reform UK

Joanna Mowat - Scottish Conservative and Unionist

Kayleigh Ferguson O'Neill - Scottish Greens

Richard Charles Shillcock - Communist Party of Britain

Caroline Waterloo - Independent  (EP)

2019 result

Deidre Brock SNP 25,925 43.7 per cent

Gordon Munro Lab 13,117 22.1 per cent

Iain McGill Con 11,000 18.5 per cent

Bruce Wilson Lib Dem 6,635 11.2 per cent

Steve Burgess Green 1,971 3.3 per cent

Robert Speirs Brexit Party 558 0.9 per cent

Heather Astbury Renew 138 0.2 per cent

SNP majority 12,808  

Turnout 73.0 per cent