RACHAEL Hamilton from the Scottish Conservatives has been elected as the MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire following the 2021 Scottish Parliament election contest. Voters went to the polls yesterday (Thursday, May 6), with the count held in Kelso’s Borders Event Centre today. Mrs Hamilton, who won the by-election in 2017, will return to Holyrood for another term after securing a majority of 6,863 votes. The total number of votes cast was 36,122 (turnout 64 per cent). There were 81 rejected ballot papers. In a speech following the declaration, Mrs Hamilton said the Conservatives in the Borders have been going from strength to strength . I think that speaks volumes to what the electorate want, she said. The constituents I ve been speaking to over the past few days have been absolutely resolute in the fact that they want people to be rebuilding from the pandemic - not about division and breaking up our United Kingdom.
Education in the Borders is failing those in greatest need. Audit Scotland tells us that the gap in achievement between children from different economic backgrounds here is the widest in Scotland, is growing wider and that the achievement of our young people from the poorest homes is among the worst in Scotland. At the same time, Borders General has the worst waiting time figures in Scotland, with less than 75 per cent of A&E patients being seen in 4 hours or less. In the last year, the Borders has consistently been below the Scottish average and has never reached the Scottish Government’s target figure of 95 per cent.
The Holyrood election is due to take place on Thursday, May 6. Standing for election in the Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale constituency are:
Dominic Ashmole – Scottish Green Party
Michael James Banks – Vanguard Party
Christine Grahame – Scottish National Party (SNP)
Shona Haslam – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
AC May – Scottish Liberal Democrats
Katherine Sangster – Scottish Labour Party and Scottish Co-operative Party Standing for election in the Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire Constituency are:
Ian Davidson – Scottish Labour Party and Scottish Co-operative Party
Rachael Hamilton – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Barbra Harvie – Scottish Green Party
Jenny Claire Marr – Scottish Liberal Democrats
Jesse Rae – Independent