Falkirk East
County constituency for the Scottish Parliament
Falkirk East shown within the Central Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Population	80,482 (2019)[1]
Current constituency
Created	1999
Party	Scottish National Party
MSP	Michelle Thomson
Council area	Falkirk

Falkirk East (Gaelic: An Eaglais Bhreac an Ear) is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering part of the council area of Falkirk. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Also, however, it is one of nine constituencies in the Central Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

The constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, for the 1999 Scottish Parliament election. Ahead of the 2011 Scottish Parliament election the boundaries of the seat were reformed and reshaped.^[2][3]

The seat has been held by Michelle Thomson of the Scottish National Party since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

Electoral region

The other eight constituencies of the Central Scotland region are: Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, East Kilbride, Falkirk West, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, Motherwell and Wishaw and Uddingston and Bellshill.

The region covers all of the Falkirk council area, all of the North Lanarkshire council area and part of the South Lanarkshire council area.

Constituency boundaries and council area

Map of boundaries from 2011

The constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies.^[4] The Holyrood constituency was subsequently itself redrawn for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, with the newly shaped Falkirk East being formed from the following electoral wards:^[5]

• In full: Bo'ness and Blackness, Grangemouth, Lower Braes, Upper Braes
• In part: Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst, Falkirk South (shared with Falkirk West constituency)

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election results

2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Falkirk East^[6][7]

Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
			Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Michelle Thomson	18,417	47.4	4.0	16,432	42.1	4.7
	Labour Co-op	Allyson Black	10,832	27.9	2.0	8,516	21.8	0.5
	Conservative	Neil Benny	7,618	19.6	0.1	8,800	22.5	2.7
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Rolfe	1,007	2.6	0.6	912	2.3	0.1
	Independent	Peter Krykant	971	2.5	New
	Scottish Green					2,333	6.0	1.3
	Alba					629	1.6	New
	All for Unity					325	0.8	New
	Freedom Alliance (UK)					220	0.6	New
	Scottish Family					220	0.6	New
	Independent Green Voice					205	0.5	New
	Abolish the Scottish Parliament					127	0.3	New
	Reform UK					97	0.2	New
	Independent	Paddy Hogg				84	0.2	New
	UKIP					83	0.2	2.3
	Libertarian					76	0.2	New
Majority			7,585	19.5	6.0
Valid Votes			38,845			39,059
Invalid Votes			115
Turnout			38,960	62.9	8.8
	SNP hold		Swing		6.0
Notes

2010s

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Falkirk East^[8]

Party		Candidate	Constituency			Regional
			Votes	%	±%	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Angus MacDonald	16,720	51.4	0.6	15,199	46.4	3.9
	Labour	Craig Martin	8,408	25.9	12.3	7,281	22.3	7.5
	Conservative	Callum Laidlaw	6,342	19.5	11.1	6,450	19.8	12.0
	Scottish Green					1,537	4.7	2.2
	UKIP					812	2.5	1.8
	Liberal Democrats	James Munro	1,054	3.2	0.6	716	2.2	0.4
	Scottish Christian					279	0.9	0.1
	Solidarity					154	0.5	0.3
	RISE					96	0.3	New
	Independent	Deryck Beaumont				63	0.2	New
Majority			8,312	25.5	12.9
Valid Votes			32,524			32,587
Invalid Votes			105			45
Turnout			32,629	54.1	4.0	32,632	54.1	4.0
	SNP hold		Swing		6.5
Notes

2000s

1990s