Friday May 8th 2026
Colin Beattie and his SNP team following the winning announcement
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Colin Beattie has won the Midlothian North constituency, securing the area for his 4th term as MSP.
The SNP candidate defeated strong Labour and Reform competition to secure the recently changed boundary area, strongly winning despite Musselburgh being taken away from the constituency.
Explaining that there is still ‘a lot to do’ in the area, Beattie and his team entered the election count with optimism despite threats from Caitlin Stott’s Labour and the Reform UK newcomer.
Midlothian North 2026 Scottish Parliamentary Election result:
| Party | Votes |
|---|---|
| Colin Beattie (Scottish National Party) | 11,250 |
| Jenny Claire Marr Butler (Scottish Liberal Democrats) | 2,387 |
| Pal Chidambaram (Reform UK) | 4,506 |
| Phil Doggart (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party) | 2,032 |
| Caitlin Stott (Scottish Labour and Cooperative Party0 | 8,754 |
| Total Votes | 29,065 |
Turnout this year: 51.2%
Turnout last time: 61.7%
The seat was watched closely leading up to the election, following the Midlothian View hosted hustings, as Colin Beattie looked to secure his seat after three terms as MSP. Aiming to benefit from a reliable core vote and gain from the absence of a Scottish Greens candidate that could have split the pro-independence votes, Beattie seemed most likely to win despite strong opposition from Labour from voters seeking a change.
Gaining strong attention due to recent issues in the area surrounding public transport and services, it was regarded as an important vote as many accused Beattie as not doing enough.
The battle was viewed as very much a test of SNP’s resilience against a Labour threat, with Reform UK’s recent growth playing an important role in shaking up Midlothian North’s voting, threatening the Scottish Conservatives.
Colin Beattie defeated a strong Scottish Labour candidate in Caitlin Stott who looked to attract voters seeking a shift from the 20 past years of SNP rule but fell short.
Following his win, Beattie expressed his appreciation to being reelected to the area, highlighting the challenges that the new constituency boundaries brought.
He explained: “I never tempt fate by saying we are going to win but the election looked quote promising from the beginning.
“It has been a much different constituency and I think that is reflected in the number of votes.”
Since Musselburgh was moved into another constituency, the number of voters had reduced.
Beattie also highlighted the new coming threat of Reform UK, labelling their candidate Pal Chadambaram as a ‘disrupter’.
He added: “The problem is this year, we had a disruptor but I am ever so pleased that they came in third.”
Following the winner announcement Beattie highlighted that over the past 15 years in his tenure as MSP he ‘endeavoured to deliver a service to the constituents that is both efficient and respectful’.
He added: “This will continue to be the case, there is much more to achieve here in Midlothian North and together I believe we can do a great deal”.
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