Latest headlines
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Victory for the SNP with 63 seats - two short of a majority
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Conservatives are the second largest party on 31 seats - but Labour on 24 lost 13 seats
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Scottish Greens are the fourth largest party with six seats, ahead of the Lib Dems who won five
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See the of Scotland
Scoreboard
Party | Candidates | Votes | % | Net percentage change in seats |
---|---|---|---|---|
Party
SNP Scottish National Party |
Candidates Ruth Maguire | Votes 13,416 | 52.2% | Net percentage change in seats +2.4 |
Party
LAB Scottish Labour |
Candidates Joe Cullinane | Votes 7,723 | 30.1% | Net percentage change in seats −9.1 |
Party
CON Scottish Conservatives |
Candidates Billy McClure | Votes 3,940 | 15.3% | Net percentage change in seats +6.9 |
Party
LD Scottish Lib Dems |
Candidates Ruby Kirkwood | Votes 616 | 2.4% | Net percentage change in seats −0.1 |
Change compared with 2011 |
Turnout and Majority
Scottish National Party Majority
5,693Turnout
51.2%Constituency Profile
Irvine is the largest town in what is a far more urban seat than neighbouring Cunninghame North. It is the only new town in Britain on the coast and, like Cumbernauld, grew up to accommodate the overspill of Glasgow's population in the 1960s.
The seat's industrial base is varied, but unemployment in the area has tended to be over the national average. North Ayrshire Council has its headquarters in Irvine and its 7,000 staff provides services for its 135,000 population. Other towns in the constituency include Stevenston and Kilwinning.
Irvine is the birthplace of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is also leader of the SNP, and that of former first minister Jack McConnell. Labour's Irene Oldfather was MSP for the area from the inception of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, until Margaret Burgess won the seat for the SNP in the 2011 election.