General election 2024: All you need to know about the contest in Midlothian

There has been a Midlothian constituency in the House of Commons since 1708, the year after the Act of Union.

And the famous "Midlothian Campaign" of 1880 - a series of speeches by the great Liberal prime minister William Gladstone leading to his victory in the seat at that year's election - is seen as the birth of modern political campaigning. 

Its more recent history has seen the seat change from a Labour stronghold rooted in long-established mining communities to a key battleground between Labour and the SNP.

Owen Thompson won the seat for the SNP in 2015, lost it to Labour in 2017, then won it back again at the last election in 2019.  Now the constituency is one of Labour's top targets.

Mr Thompson says the SNP's poor showing in the polls is not reflected in the reception he gets on the doorsteps. "The reaction has been really positive, there's a real enthusiasm, a positivity towards John Swinney."  He says the performances of Mr Swinney and SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn in televised debates have impressed voters. "Folk have mentioned that they have stood out as something different from the sameness of the main parties.   

"We know there's a lot of work to be done, but we've got a good team and we're getting a positive reaction.  I have a long-standing record in the community. We're leaving no stone unturned, walking miles - I'm told it's good for me - and just speaking  to people as much as we can.  I've been involved around elections in Midlothian since the early 1990s and It feels positive.”

He says everyone is worried about the cost of living and the potential for more cuts coming down the line. “That’s a big worry because they see the impact of the cuts by the current government have already had on public services.

“We're making a strong push to say there's a different way and if we want to turn things around we need to be investing in our public services - and given that most of the funding still comes from Westminster that has to be decisions taken there and that's why we need strong voices at Westminster to make that case."

Labour's candidate is Kirsty McNeill, who worked in Downing Street as an adviser to Gordon Brown when he was prime minister and is seen as a rising star in the party.

She has been working hard in the seat for well over a year and claims people are not impressed with the SNP's record. "It took quite a long time before the SNP government started getting held to account as a government for its track record. They have been able to position themselves as a pressure group but people are not having that any more.

“There is a very strong sense that it is time for change and to give Labour a chance to enact what are both progressive and practical policies.

"Midlothian is the fastest growing area in Scotland by some margin, so there is real pressure on our infrastructure and our local government funding.  There is lots of new build and nobody thinks that's a problem, but what people feel very strongly is there has to be the investment in GP places, school places and roads to go along with it.

"Labour is proposing a national planning service to try and help local government do that kind of imaginative planning and make sure developments going up are beautiful places for people to stay, where they'll want several generations of the family to live."

Ms McNeill worked in the charity sector before becoming an adviser to Gordon Brown for three years. After he left Downing Street, she spent a year helping him and his wife Sarah set up their office and establishing Mr Brown's global education projects. Since 2015 she has worked in a senior post at Save the Children.

She says her campaigning has allowed her to have"thousands and thousands" of conversations with people and she now has "a very strong sense of what communities in Midlothian need". She says: "People are not asking for the earth and I'm not promising the earth.  What I'm promising are policies and priorities we hope will make a practical difference and can actually be delivered."

Former Borders councillor Keith Cockburn is standing for the Tories. He also highlights the massive scale of development in Midlothian. "It's fantastic  we've got so many good new homes being built, but my concern is the infrastructure because it doesn't seem to be tying up with the home-buiding and the population growth."

He says he is campaigning for a fairer funding settlement for Midlothian to match the expanding population, more community police and wants to apply for direct UK government funding to repair and maintain roads.

And he directs his attack at the SNP. "I don't think the SNP are good for Scotland - their main priority is independence and that means the people they're representing come second."

The Lib Dem candidate is Ross Laird, who works in PR but also has a small whisky business and stood here in 2017. He too talks about the growing population. "It's about advocating for better infrastructure, from GPs and dentists through to improved roads, public transport and active travel."

He says people are worried about the cost of living and trust in politics. "It's time for a change. The Conservatives have made a mess of the economy and much else besides."  He  wants to get back into the EU and says parties must be honest about the funding shortfall and should explore potential new taxes, like a frequent flyer levy and a one-off windfall tax on the super-profits of utlility companies and others.  

Daniel Fraser, a self-employed window cleaner and stay at home dad, is standing for the Scottish Libertarian Party, which argues taxation is "equivalent to theft".

And Reform UK is fielding Stefan Garbowski, who was born in Poland and moved to Edinburgh in 2005 to work as a joiner, later moving to Midlothian. He is now a British citizen but claims British values are being lost.

Candidates

Keith Cockburn -  Scottish Conservative and Unionist 

Daniel Fraser - Scottish Libertarian Party

Stefan Garbowski - Reform UK

Ross Laird - Scottish Liberal Democrats  

Kirsty McNeill - Labour and Co-operative Party  

Owen Thompson - Scottish National Party(SNP)

2019 result

Owen Thompson SNP 20,033 41.5 per cent

Danielle Rowley Lab 14,328 29.7 per cent

Rebecca Fraser Con 10,467 21.7 per cent

Steve Arrundale Lib Dem 3,393 7.0 per cent

SNP majority 5,705

Turnout 68.4 per cent