This blog, the third in our UK General Election series, covers the recent changes to the UK Parliament constituency boundaries and sets out how Members of Parliament (MPs) are returned from those constituencies to seats in the UK Parliament House of Commons.
UK Parliament Constituency Boundary Reviews
The UK is divided into 650 constituencies (i.e. electoral areas) for UK Parliament elections. Constituencies are reviewed by the Boundary Commissions in each of the four nations of the UK to ensure that UK Parliament constituencies have similar population sizes and respect local ties between areas.
The most recent boundary review was completed in June 2023. The final proposals for the upcoming UK General Election were then implemented automatically and approved by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023.
The most recent review allocated England 543 seats (an increase of 10 from the last boundary review), Scotland 57 seats (a decrease of 2 from the last review), Wales 32 seats (a decrease of 8 from the last review), and Northern Ireland 18 seats (no change from the last review). Each constituency, other than the UK’s five exempt island constituencies, must have an electorate within 5% of the electoral quota set by the most recent boundary review of 73,393.
Constituency changes in Scotland
As is the case in other nations of the UK, the boundaries for most UK Parliament constituencies in Scotland are changing. This part of the blog references data both from the 2023 Boundary Review and the UK Parliament House of Commons Library. The data can be downloaded here.
Some constituencies in Scotland, such as the former constituencies of Glasgow Central and Ochil and South Perthshire, have had more significant changes. Both former constituencies are being split into five successor constituencies and are relatively dissimilar to their closest successor (i.e. the percentage of the population moving to the closest successor constituency is relatively low). The closest successor constituency for Glasgow Central is now Glasgow East with 44.6% of the population moving to this constituency. The closest successor constituency for Ochil and South Perthshire is now Alloa and Grangemouth, with 44.7% of the population moving to this constituency.
Examples of other changes to boundaries include enlargements, such as is the case for the former constituency of Argyll and Bute (now renamed Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber). The population of the new constituency remains very similar with 100% of the population of the former constituency being accommodated by the successor constituency. Reductions to constituency boundaries have also occurred, for example, in the former seat of East Lothian (now renamed Lothian East). Again, this successor constituency remains relatively similar to the former constituency with 88.3% of the population of East Lothian moving to Lothian East.
Nine constituencies remain unchanged from those previously in use. These constituencies include the island constituencies of Na h-Eileanan an Iar and Orkney and Shetland which by law cannot be changed. The other constituencies which remain unchanged are:
- Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
- Central Ayrshire
- East Renfrewshire
- Kilmarnock and Loudoun
- Midlothian
- North Ayrshire and Arran
- West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine.
You can find your UK Parliament constituency by using your postcode in the search function below. A link to the constituency boundary map can be followed.
The tool is based on data from the National Record of Scotland.
The UK Parliament House of Commons Library also published an interactive map and dashboard showing the old constituency boundaries with the new constituency boundaries.
Electing a Member of Parliament
UK Parliament elections use the First Past the Post voting system. Each constituency has a list of candidates, most of whom will be standing for a political party. Voters cast a vote for the candidate they want to represent their constituency. The candidate with the most votes is elected as the MP for that constituency.
First Past the Post is a plurality-based voting system which means that a candidate in a constituency only needs to get the most votes overall to be elected. For example, the seat for North East Fife was won by only two votes in the 2017 UK General Election.
The political party with the most MPs elected wins the election. If an election results in an overall majority, the leader of the political party with the most MPs elected is then called upon by the King to become Prime Minister and form a government. The leader of the party with the second highest number of MPs becomes Leader of the Opposition. When no single political party wins a majority, a situation known as a hung Parliament, then the Prime Minister and UK Government from before the election remain in power and the political parties must establish who forms the government.
Finding out about candidates in your constituency
The deadline for candidacy nominations in this UK General Election is 7 June 2024 at 4pm (i.e. 19 working days before polling day on 4 July 2024). At 5pm on 7 June 2024, local authorities will publish a “Statement of Persons Nominated” listing the candidates in each constituency. The Electoral Commission also publishes the list of candidates in each constituency following the deadline for candidacy nominations.
SPICe Research