Moray ( ; sco, Moray; gd, Moireibh or ') is a
county constituency of the
House of Commons of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...
. It elects one
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(MP) by the
first past the post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...
system of election.
A rural constituency,
Elgin is the main town, with the rest of the population sprinkled across several small fishing and farming communities.
The constituency voted against
Scottish independence
Scottish independence ( gd, Neo-eisimeileachd na h-Alba; sco, Scots unthirldom) is the idea of Scotland as a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom, and refers to the political movement that is campaigning to bring it about.
...
in
a referendum held in 2014 on an above-average margin of 57.6% "No" 42.4% "Yes", and had the highest percentage for "Leave" of any council area in Scotland at the
2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum
The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...
at 50.1% "Remain" 49.9% "Leave".
Boundaries
1983–1997: Moray District.
1997–2005: The Moray District electoral divisions of Buckie, Burghsea, Elgin North East, Elgin South West, Ernedal, Innes-Heldon, Rathford-Lennox, and Speyside-Glenlivet.
2005–present: The
Moray
Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland (council area), ...
council area.
The constituency covers the whole of the Moray council area. Between 1997 and 2005, it covered a slightly smaller area. A similar constituency, also called
Moray
Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland (council area), ...
, is used for elections to the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyr ...
.
The seat is bordered by the constituencies of
Banff and Buchan,
Gordon,
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey and
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine.
History
The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the former seats of
Moray and Nairn, and
Banffshire
Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Mora ...
.
Constituency profile and voting patterns
Constituency profile
Moray is an affluent rural constituency in the north-east of Scotland. The constituency follows the southern coastline of the
Moray Firth
The Moray Firth (; Scottish Gaelic: ''An Cuan Moireach'', ''Linne Mhoireibh'' or ''Caolas Mhoireibh'') is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Sc ...
between
Cullen to the east and
Dyke to the west, on the outskirts of
Forres
Forres (; gd, Farrais) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions. There a ...
, and extends up towards the northern fringes of the
Cairngorms National Park along the
River Spey and its tributaries. The constituency also covers the
River Lossie and its tributaries, and the lower reaches of the
River Findhorn.
Agriculture, fishing, tourism and whisky distilling are important in the local economy. Along the north coast of Moray is a mixture of
fishing towns and villages such as
Lossiemouth,
Portessie and
Portknockie. Lossiemouth houses the
RAF Lossiemouth Royal Air Force station
The Royal Air Force (RAF) operates several stations throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes front-line and training air bases, support, administrative and training stations with no flying activity, unmanned airfields used fo ...
, which is among the busiest and largest fast-jet stations in the Royal Air Force, and is an important source of employment for those living in the
Laich of Moray
The Laich of Moray or Laigh of Moray (locally: Laich o' Moray) ( gd, Machair Mhoireibh) is the rich agricultural coastal plain in Moray. ''Laich'' is a Scots word meaning Low-lying land. The generally accepted area covered by the term ''Laich ...
between
Elgin,
Forres
Forres (; gd, Farrais) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions. There a ...
and Lossiemouth. On the eastern banks of the River Findhorn, 15 miles south-west of Lossiemouth, is the larger town of Forres, which is the site of
Sueno's Stone,
Brodie Castle
Brodie Castle is a well-preserved Z plan castle located about west of Forres, in Moray, Scotland. The castle is a Category A listed building and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.
The ...
and the Dallas Dhu Distillery.
There is a cluster of whisky distilleries along the River Spey and along the A941 corridor between
Craigellachie and Moray's capital of
Elgin. Elgin is Moray's largest town and the site of the
Elgin Cathedral. It houses about 25% of Moray's population, and is often referred to as a city despite lacking
official recognition. According to a 2006 survey conducted by
HBOS, Elgin has among the highest property prices of any town in Scotland.
South and east of Elgin, the River Spey and areas east of the river historically belonged to the former county of
Banffshire
Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Mora ...
, while Moray instead incorporated parts of
Nairn
Nairn (; gd, Inbhir Narann) is a town and royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness, at the point where the River Nairn enters the Moray Firth. It is the tradit ...
, which is today included in the
Highland
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
council area and in the
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey parliamentary constituency. The upper reaches of the River Spey stretch down from mountainous terrain in the south to still thinly populated rolling plains. Rural communities in this region predominantly rely upon tourism, whisky distilling and agriculture for employment. In the north-east of Moray,
Buckie is a prominent fishing port.
Oil also forms a substantial part of the local economy: over 10% of Moray's population commute to
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...
and
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area inclu ...
, primarily working in the oil and gas industry.
Voting patterns
Historically Moray was predominantly represented by the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
. The constituency's predecessor seats of
Banffshire
Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Mora ...
and
Moray and Nairn were represented by the Conservatives almost continuously from the
1935 general election until both seats were abolished to form Moray in
1983, with the electorate briefly voting
SNP at the
February
February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years or 29 in leap years, with the 29th day being called the ''leap day''. It is the first of five months not to have 31 days (th ...
and
October general elections in 1974. When the Moray constituency was first established in 1983, it elected
Alexander Pollock
Alexander Pollock is a Canadian realtor and former actor. He is best known for his roles as Corky in ''Big Bully'', Scotty Brody in ''Cats & Dogs'', and Richie/Elf Tight End in ''The Santa Clause 2''.
Career
He made his debut in 1996 as Corky ...
of the Conservatives as MP with a 1,713 (4.0%) majority, but the SNP's
Margaret Ewing
Margaret Anne Ewing (''née'' McAdam, formerly Bain; 1 September 1945 – 21 March 2006) was a Scottish teacher, journalist and politician. She served as a Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of Parliament for East Dunbartonshire from 197 ...
won the seat at the following
general election in 1987, alongside neighbouring
Banff and Buchan as part of a wider breakthrough for the SNP in the north-east of Scotland.
The constituency was a Conservative-SNP
marginal
Marginal may refer to:
* ''Marginal'' (album), the third album of the Belgian rock band Dead Man Ray, released in 2001
* ''Marginal'' (manga)
* '' El Marginal'', Argentine TV series
* Marginal seat or marginal constituency or marginal, in polit ...
until Labour's landslide victory in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
, when Margaret Ewing doubled her majority to 5,566 (14.0%). Labour made a breakthrough in the constituency at the
2001 general election when Margaret Ewing retired to be replaced by
Angus Robertson
Angus Struan Carolus Robertson (born 28 September 1969) is a Scottish politician serving as the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture since 2021. Former Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2016 ...
: Labour came ahead of the Conservatives for the first time, but the SNP beat them by 1,744 votes (5.2%); however the seat reverted to a SNP-Conservative battle from the
2005 general election onwards. Angus Robertson increased his majority at the
2005 general election; it was reduced slightly in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
before increasing again in
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
.
At the 2015 general election, the Conservatives had their best result in the constituency since 1997; Moray was their strongest vote increase in the whole of Scotland. The equivalent Scottish Parliamentary constituency of
Moray
Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland (council area), ...
was thought of as very safe for the SNP since the
2003 Scottish Parliament election, however in
2016 the SNP's majority in the constituency was cut by the Conservatives from 10,944 (38.3%) to 2,875 (8.6%).
In the
2017 Moray Council election
The elections to Moray Council were held on Thursday 4 May 2017, on the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. It was the third successive Local Council election to run under the STV Electoral System. The election used the eight ...
, the Conservatives were for the first time the largest party by votes cast in Moray; they had the highest
first-preference votes in five electoral wards. The party were ahead in all wards in the more densely populated north-west of the council area, an area known as the
Laich of Moray
The Laich of Moray or Laigh of Moray (locally: Laich o' Moray) ( gd, Machair Mhoireibh) is the rich agricultural coastal plain in Moray. ''Laich'' is a Scots word meaning Low-lying land. The generally accepted area covered by the term ''Laich ...
, covering the towns of Elgin, Forres, Lossiemouth,
Burghead,
Hopeman and
Lhanbryde
Lhanbryde ( Gaelic: ''Lann Brìghde'') is a village that lies east of Elgin in Moray, Scotland. Previously bisected by the A96, it was bypassed in the early 1990s and now lies to the north of this busy trunk road. It had a population of 1,8 ...
; whilst the SNP were ahead in the three electoral wards covering Buckie, Cullen,
Keith
Keith may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Keith (surname)
* Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949)
* Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons i ...
and
Speyside Speyside can refer to:
* Speyside, Ontario, a settlement in Ontario
* Strathspey, Scotland, the famous whisky producing region by the River Spey
** Speyside single malts, the type of whisky produced in Strathspey
* Speyside, Trinidad and Tobago in T ...
.
Douglas Ross gained the seat for the Conservative Party at the
2017 snap election, securing 22,637 votes (47.5%), ahead of the sitting SNP MP Angus Robertson's 18,478 votes (38.8%). Robertson's loss was one of the high-profile losses for the
Scottish National Party at the 2017 general election; the other major loss being former SNP leader and
First Minister
A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of '' ...
Alex Salmond losing his
Gordon seat to
Colin Clark of the Conservatives. In a profile of the seat for ''The Guardian'' after the election, journalist Severin Carrell summarised the result: "Moray had been an SNP seat for 30 years but... using Brexit as the basis for a second independence vote so soon after 2014 crystallised an irritation with the party brewing for several years. The Tory cry that Sturgeon needed “to get on with the day job” resonated."
Members of Parliament
Election results
Elections in the 2010s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
References
External links
Election result, 2010(BBC)
Election result, 2005(BBC)
Election results, 1997 - 2001(BBC)
(Election Demon)
(Election Demon)
(Guardian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moray (Uk Parliament Constituency)
Westminster Parliamentary constituencies in Scotland
Politics of Moray
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1983