Midlothian (UK Parliament constituency)

Midlothian in Scotland is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post voting system.

It replaced Midlothian and Peeblesshire at the 1955 general election. A similar constituency, also called Midlothian, was used by the Scottish Parliament until 2011.

Boundaries
1955–1974: The county of Midlothian, including all the burghs situated therein, except the county of the city of Edinburgh and the burgh of Musselburgh.

1974–1983: As above.

1983–1997: Midlothian District.

1997–2005: The Midlothian District electoral wards of Bonnyrigg/Newtongrange, Dalkeith, Loanhead, and Mayfield/Gorebridge.

2005–present: The area of the Midlothian Council.

When first formed, the constituency covered the whole of the traditional county of Midlothian, apart from Edinburgh, split into multiple separate constituencies, and Musselburgh, which was included in Edinburgh East (UK Parliament constituency).

In the 1983 reforms the constituency was significantly reduced from over 100,000 voters to 61,143, with large numbers of voters moved to the new seat of Livingston, and smaller numbers to Edinburgh Pentlands, East Lothian and Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale.

The 1997 reforms moved Penicuik into Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale, with the rest of the council area remaining in the seat; it returned in 2005, when the constituency was expanded again to cover the entire Midlothian Council area.