Edinburgh Southern

The other eight constituencies of the Edinburgh and Lothians East region are East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent, Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh North Western, Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith, Edinburgh Northern, Edinburgh South Western and Midlothian North.^[3] The region includes all of the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian council areas, and parts of the Midlothian council area.^[4]

Prior to the second periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries in 2025, Edinburgh Southern was part of the Lothian (Scottish Parliament electoral region) electoral region. The other eight constituencies of the Lothian region were Almond Valley, Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Eastern, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh Western, Linlithgow and Midlothian North and Musselburgh. The region included all of the City of Edinburgh council area, parts of the East Lothian council area, parts of the Midlothian council area and all of the West Lothian council area.

Map of 2011 boundaries

Since the second periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries in 2025, Edinburgh is to be represented in the Scottish Parliament by seven constituencies: Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent (which also includes part of East Lothian), Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith, Edinburgh North Western, Edinburgh Northern, Edinburgh Southern, and Edinburgh South Western. As a result, the Edinburgh Southern constituency covers the following electoral wards of Edinburgh Council:^[2]

• Colinton/Fairmilehead (shared with Edinburgh South Western)
• Morningside (shared with Edinburgh Central)
• Southside/Newington (shared with Edinburgh Central)
• Liberton/Gilmerton (entire ward)

On its 2011 boundaries, Edinburgh Southern was an extremely affluent suburban constituency wedged across the inner south of the City of Edinburgh.^[6] The constituency was largely composed of leafy Victorian townhousing based around the suburbs of Newington, Morningside, Craiglockhart, Blackford and Merchiston, with some social housing in parts of Prestonfield and Liberton. The 2026 boundaries shift the seat a little further south, losing areas in the north to Edinburgh Central, whilst gaining areas in the south from the former Edinburgh Pentlands seat.

Edinburgh Southern has a colourful mix of political traditions, with the equivalent Edinburgh South constituency at Westminster being represented by the Conservatives until being won by Labour's Nigel Griffiths in 1987. It has since returned Labour MPs, becoming Labour's only Scottish constituency at Westminster in 2015 following a landslide election for the Scottish National Party, who took 56 of 59 Westminster constituencies in Scotland. At the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh South returned a Labour constituency MSP in 1999, voting Liberal Democrat in both 2003 and 2007 before being narrowly won by the SNP in 2011. In 2016, it became Labour's only constituency seat gain at the Scottish Parliament, despite the fact that the Conservative Party had the largest share of the vote on the regional list vote in the constituency.