Banff and Buchan (UK Parliament constituency)

For the former Scottish Parliament constituency, see Banff and Buchan (Scottish Parliament constituency).

Banff and Buchan
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Banff and Buchan in Scotland
Major settlementsPeterhead, Fraserburgh, Turriff
1983–2024
Created fromAberdeenshire East and Banffshire[1]
Replaced byAberdeenshire North and Moray East

Banff and Buchan was a constituency of the House of Commons, located in the north-east of Scotland within the Aberdeenshire council area. It elected one Member of Parliament at least once every five years using the first-past-the-post system of voting.

The seat was most recently held by David Duguid of the Scottish Conservatives from 2017; until then the Scottish National Party (SNP) had held the seat since 1987, with the then First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond representing the seat until 2010 and Eilidh Whiteford until 2017.

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was subject to boundary changes which involved expansion into eastern parts of Moray. As a consequence, it was renamed Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, which was first contested at the 2024 general election.[2]

Constituency profile

A mostly rural constituency, it took in the towns of Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Turriff, and the main industries are fishing and tourism.[3]

The Aberdeenshire council area as a whole voted against Scottish independence in 2014.[4]

61% of people in constituency are estimated to have voted in favour of leaving the European Union in the 2016 Brexit referendum.[5]

In 2010, Eilidh Whiteford succeeded Alex Salmond as the MP for Banff and Buchan, but the SNP vote share fell below 50% for the first time since 1992, due to a strong challenge by the Conservative Party. In the 2015 general election, the SNP achieved its best-ever result in the constituency, with Whiteford winning a 60.2% share of the vote and increasing her majority by more than 10,300 votes.

In 2017, the constituency saw the second-largest swing to the Conservatives in all of Scotland (20.2%), bested only by the swing achieved by Colin Clark in defeating Salmond in the neighbouring seat of Gordon (20.4%). Observers attributed this to anger at the SNP's opposition to Brexit and support for a second independence referendum. After the election, The Guardian reported, "In the coastal town of Peterhead, locals at the Waverley hotel were toasting Salmond's first defeat since being elected as an MP in 1987. Murdo MacKenzie, 51, a former fisherman, said there was a lot of anger about Sturgeon's stance on Europe. 'Europe is dictating our fishing quotas. I've voted SNP all my life but if you take the power away from Westminster and hand it to Brussels, how is that independence?'"[6]

At the 2019 general election, Banff and Buchan's Conservative vote share bucked the Scottish trend and increased by 2.1%, increasing David Duguid's majority to over 4,000 votes and taking over 50% of the vote share.

Boundaries

Map
Map of boundaries 2005-2024

1983–1997: Banff and Buchan District.

1997–2005: The Banff and Buchan District electoral divisions of Banff and Portsoy, Deveron, Fraserburgh North, Fraserburgh South, Mid Buchan, Peterhead North, Peterhead South, and Ugie, Cruden and Boddam.

2005–2024: The Aberdeenshire Council wards of Durn, Banff West and Boyndie, Banff, Aberchirder, Macduff, Gamrie King Edward, Buchan North, Fraserburgh West, Fraserburgh North, Fraserburgh East, Fraserburgh South, Buchan North East, South Buchan, Central Buchan, Lonmay and St Fergus, Mintlaw Old Deer, Mintlaw Longside, Boddam Inverugie, Blackhouse, Buchanhaven, Peterhead Central Roanheads, Clerkhill, Dales Towerhill, Cruden, Turriff West, Turriff East, Upper Ythan, and Fyvie Methlick.

As created in 1983, the constituency replaced part of East Aberdeenshire and part of Banffshire.

New boundaries were used for the 2005 general election, as recommended by the Fifth Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland,[7] and the constituency was one of five covering the Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City council areas. The Banff and Buchan constituency was entirely within the Aberdeenshire area, covering a northern portion of it. To the south, Gordon included part of the Aberdeenshire area and part of the Aberdeen City area. Further south, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine continues to be entirely within the Aberdeenshire area and Aberdeen North and Aberdeen South are entirely within the Aberdeen City area.

As of its abolition, the Banff and Buchan constituency continued to include the port towns of Peterhead and Fraserburgh, along with Turriff which was formerly within the Gordon constituency.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1983 Albert McQuarrie Conservative
1987 Alex Salmond SNP
2010 Eilidh Whiteford
2017 David Duguid Conservative

Election results

Banff election results

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Banff and Buchan[8][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Duguid 21,182 50.1 +2.1
SNP Paul Robertson 17,064 40.4 +1.3
Liberal Democrats Alison Smith 2,280 5.4 +1.9
Labour Brian Balcombe 1,734 4.1 −5.4
Majority 4,118 9.7 +0.8
Turnout 42,260 63.4 +1.8
Conservative hold Swing +0.4
General election 2017: Banff and Buchan[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Duguid[12] 19,976 48.0 +19.2
SNP Eilidh Whiteford[13] 16,283 39.1 −21.1
Labour Caitlin Stott 3,936 9.5 +3.7
Liberal Democrats Galen Milne 1,448 3.5 −1.6
Majority 3,693 8.9 N/A
Turnout 41,643 61.6 −4.9
Conservative gain from SNP Swing +20.2
General election 2015: Banff and Buchan[14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Eilidh Whiteford 27,487 60.2 +18.9
Conservative Alex Johnstone 13,148 28.8 −2.0
Labour Sumon Hoque1 2,647 5.8 −8.2
Liberal Democrats David Evans 2,347 5.1 −6.2
Majority 14,339 31.4 +18.9
Turnout 45,629 66.5 +6.7
SNP hold Swing +10.5

1: After nominations were closed, Hoque was suspended from the Labour Party when he was charged with multiple driving offences.[16]

General election 2010: Banff and Buchan[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Eilidh Whiteford 15,868 41.3 −9.9
Conservative Jimmy Buchan 11,841 30.8 +11.4
Labour Glen Reynolds 5,382 14.0 +2.0
Liberal Democrats Galen Milne 4,365 11.3 −2.0
BNP Richard Payne 1,010 2.6 New
Majority 4,027 12.5 −19.3
Turnout 38,466 59.8 +3.2
SNP hold Swing −10.6

The swing of 10.6% to the Conservatives in Banff and Buchan was the largest swing in Scotland at the 2010 general election.[18]

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Banff and Buchan[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Alex Salmond 19,044 51.2 +2.3
Conservative Sandy Wallace 7,207 19.4 −2.1
Liberal Democrats Eleanor Anderson 4,952 13.3 −0.6
Labour Rami Okasha 4,476 12.0 −1.5
Christian Vote Victor Ross 683 1.8 New
UKIP Kathleen Kemp 442 1.2 +0.3
Scottish Socialist Steve Will 412 1.1 −0.3
Majority 11,837 31.8 −2.3
Turnout 37,216 56.6 +2.2
SNP hold Swing −1.1
General election 2001: Banff and Buchan[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Alex Salmond 16,710 54.2 −1.6
Conservative Sandy Wallace 6,207 20.1 −3.7
Labour Ted Harris 4,363 14.2 +2.4
Liberal Democrats Douglas Herbison 2,769 9.0 +3.0
Scottish Socialist Alice Rowan 447 1.5 New
UKIP Eric Davidson 310 1.0 New
Majority 10,503 34.1 +2.1
Turnout 30,806 54.4 −14.3
SNP hold Swing +1.1

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Banff and Buchan[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Alex Salmond 22,409 55.8 +4.9
Conservative William Frain-Bell 9,564 23.8 −10.9
Labour Megan Harris 4,747 11.8 +3.2
Liberal Democrats Neil Fletcher 2,398 6.0 +0.1
Referendum Alan Buchan 1,060 2.6 New
Majority 12,845 32.0 +23.1
Turnout 40,178 68.7 −2.5
SNP hold Swing +11.5
General election 1992: Banff and Buchan[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Alex Salmond 21,954 47.5 +3.2
Conservative Sandy Manson 17,846 38.6 −0.1
Labour Brian Balcombe 3,803 8.2 +0.7
Liberal Democrats Rhona Kemp 2,588 5.6 −4.0
Majority 4,108 8.9 +3.3
Turnout 46,191 71.2 +0.4
SNP hold Swing +1.7

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Banff and Buchan[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Alex Salmond 19,462 44.3 +6.9
Conservative Albert McQuarrie 17,021 38.7 −1.0
SDP George Burness 4,211 9.6 −5.4
Labour James Livie 3,281 7.5 −0.3
Majority 2,441 5.6 N/A
Turnout 43,975 70.8 +3.8
SNP gain from Conservative Swing +3.9
General election 1983: Banff and Buchan[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Albert McQuarrie 16,072 39.7 −3.0
SNP Douglas Henderson 15,135 37.4 −3.1
SDP Edward Needham 6,084 15.0
Labour Ian Lloyd 3,150 7.8 −9.1
Majority 937 2.3 +0.1
Turnout 40,441 67.0
Conservative win (new seat)

References

Specific
  1. ^ "'Banff and Buchan', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  2. ^ Boundary Commission Scotland 2023 Review Report
  3. ^ "Vote 2001 - Results & Constituencies: Banff & Buchan". BBC News. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  4. ^ "Aberdeenshire says 'No thanks' to independence". Fraserburgh Herald. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Banff and Buchan". Democratic Dashboard. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021.
  6. ^ Summers, Hannah (10 June 2017). "'The minute that Sturgeon talked about another referendum, that was it'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Fifth Periodical Review". Boundary Commission for Scotland. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007.
  8. ^ "General Election 2019". Aberdeenshire Council. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Banff & Buchan parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
  12. ^ "Whiteford facing Tory candidate she knows from school days at General Election". Press and Journal. Aberdeen Journals.
  13. ^ "General Election: SNP reselects 54 MPs". www.scotsman.com.
  14. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  15. ^ http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/elections/DeclarationofResult-BanffandBuchan.pdf[permanent dead link‍] 7 July 2015
  16. ^ "Labour withdraws support from candidate facing drink drive charge". STV News. 24 April 2015.
  17. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  18. ^ The Newsroom (11 May 2010). "Eilidh holds seat for the SNP". Buchan Observer. Retrieved 14 November 2021. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  24. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
General
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Constituency represented by the Leader of the Scottish National Party in Westminster
2001-2007 		Succeeded by

57°28′19″N 2°27′04″W / 57.472°N 2.451°W / 57.472; -2.451