General election 2024: SNP loses all its seats in Edinburgh as Labour sweeps in

Labour won all three of the SNP’s Edinburgh seats in a night of sensational results for the party.

Joanna Cherry, Tommy Sheppard and Deidre Brock were all defeated as Labour swept in with comfortable majorities.

From left to right, Labour's four Edinburgh MPs celebrate at the election count: Ian Murray - Edinburgh South; Scott Arthur - Edinburgh South West; Tracy Gilbert - Edinburgh North and Leith; and Chris Murray - Edinburgh East and Mussleburgh. | Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS

Edinburgh council transport convener Scott Arthur is the new MP for Edinburgh South West, which Ms Cherry had represented since 2015. It was seen as the hardest constituency in the Capital for Labour to win, but Mr Arthur took it with a majority of 6,217.

Labour’s Chris Murray won Edinburgh East & Musselburgh from Mr Sheppard by 3,715 votes. And Tracy Gilbert took Edinburgh North & Leith from Ms Brock with a majority of 7,268.

Labour's Ian Murray held his Edinburgh South seat with an increased majority of 17,251. And Lib 'Dem Christine Jardine was re-elected in Edinburgh West, also with an increased majority of 16,470.

And it was the same pattern across the Lothians -  former Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander was returned to Westminster as MP for East Lothian with a majority of 13,265 over SNP candidate Lyn Jardine.

Labour’s Gregor Poynton won Livingston from the SNP’s Hannah Bardell by 3,528 votes; Kirsteen Sullivan defeated SNP MP Martyn Day with a majority of 8,323; and Kirsty McNeill won Midlothian by 8,167 votes over te SNP’s Owen Thompson.

Turnout across the Capital was significantly lower than in 2019, falling below 70 per cent in all five seats. Edinburgh East & Musselburgh recorded the lowest turnout at just over 60 per cent, nearly nine points down, while Edinburgh North & Leith saw a 10 per cent drop to 63 per cent.

The Greens performed well, coming third after Labour and the SNP in three of the five constituencies. In a speech at the Edinburgh count, after her result was declared, Joanna Cherry said the election outcome must prompt the SNP to “address what has gone wrong in recent years”.

She said: “The story of tonight is the Labour landslide and it reflects massive dissatisfaction with the previous Conservative government and sadly the Scottish National Party has been a casualty of the landslide.

“But, to be honest, there have been other factors which have made it less likely for people to vote SNP and that’s made it hard for us. My fate and the fate of many other SNP candidates tonight means that my party must now have the courage to address what has gone wrong in recent years, otherwise this setback for the Scottish National Party will not be reversed - and I shall have a lot more to say about that in the days and weeks to come.

“However, this setback for the SNP should not be interpreted as a setback for the cause of Scottish independence. Opinion polls still show that half of voters in this country support independence, and therefore the issue of our constitutional future is very much still alive - and Labour would be foolish to gore that.”

She said she hoped that Labour in government would remember that women make up 51 per cent of the population. “The rights of women to dignity, privacy and safety should not be ignored or sidelined by any political leader and we should not be demonised for airing those rights.”

She said she would take time to decide what she did next, but promised: “I shall continue to stand up for universal human rights, for equality for all, but most particularly for the rights of women and the rights of lesbians.”

In his speech at the count, Ian Murray, who is expected to be named as Scottish Secretary in the new government, his “political hero”, the late Labour leader John Smith - “the greatest prime minister we never had” - who said that all he asked was the opportunity to serve.

Mr Murray said: “For the past six weeks we have asked the Scottish people to give us the chance to serve. Whether you’ve voted Labour ll your life, decided we were the best choice this time or you’ve voted Labour for the very first time, we will work hard with humility to deliver the trust you have placed in us.

“For much of my time as MP for Edinburgh South I have been Scotland’s sole Labour MP. It’s been sometimes lonely, often hard, but always hopeful - hopeful that one day that Labour values will again be recognised as Scotland’s values. Being the sole Labour MP ends tonight - with a bang.”

Read more about the results in your constituency:

Edinburgh East & Musselburgh

Edinburgh North & Leith

Edinburgh South

Edinburgh South West

Edinburgh West