General Election 2024: The new constituency names in Scotland and what they mean (2024)

With the General Election fast approaching, eagle-eyed observers may have noticed that Scotland has dropped from 59 constituencies to 57 after changes were made following a boundary review.

Although most constituencies are unchanged from the 2019 election, a number have new names and some MPs hoping to return to Westminster will need to do so in a different seat.

As 12 current Scottish MPs are either not seeking re-election or have been de-selected, the political landscape in Scotland is changing in more than just the names of some constituencies. The two constituencies which will no longer be contested in 2024 are Ross, Skye and Lochaber and Glasgow Central.

The former’s MP was the SNP’s Ian Blackford, who is not seeking re-election. The seat will be absorbed into the neighbouring constituencies of Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross and the newly named Inverness, Skye and Wes Ross-shire.

In Glasgow, Alison Thewliss was the MP for Glasgow Central, which will merge with Glasgow East. She will now contest Glasgow North, the seat previously held by Patrick Grady, the disgraced MP who was previously suspended due to sexual harrasment.

Throughout Scotland, changes are made in name only to many of the constituencies meaning that voters will just go to the polls as usual.

Angus will become Angus and Perthshire Glens, Argyll and Bute will become Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber, Banff and Buchan will change completely and become Aberdeenshire North and Moray East.

In the Central Belt, Coatbridge and Bellshill will replace Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch will take over from Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East.

Dundee West becomes Dundee Central, Dundee East morphs into Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, Dunfermline and West Fife changes to Dunfermline and Dollar.

East Kilbride and Strathaven drops Lesmahagow from its name, East Dunbartonshire will now be known as Mid Dunbartonshire and East Lothian flips to become Lothian East whereas Edinburgh East will add Musselburgh to its constituency name.

Only one change in Glasgow, apart from the previously mentioned North, with Glasgow North West becoming Glasgow West. Glenrothes becomes Glenrothes and Mid Fife, Alex Salmond’s former seat moves from Gordon to Gordon and Buchan, Inverclyde adds Renfrewshire West to its name and in another flip, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath will now be Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy.

In more minor changes, Lanark and Hamilton East is now Hamilton and Clyde Valley, Linlithgow and East Falkirk will be Bathgate and Linlithgow.

Douglas Ross is standing down as an MP and his seat, Moray, will now be known as Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey.

Motherwell and Wishaw will add Carluke to its name, Ochil and South Perthshire will now be known as Alloa and Grangemouth. One of the tightest constituencies ever back in 2017, Perth and North Perthshire, will now be Perth and Kinross-shire.

Rutherglen is the new name for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, a constituency in the public eye after the recent by-election following the Margaret Ferrier scandal and the last name change comes in Stirling with the constituency named after the city changing to include Strathallan.

All the other constituency names remain the same for now and MPs will be decided in the vote on Thursday, July 4 after PM Rishi Sunak announced the summer general election last week.

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