Lothian East: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Mr Douglas Alexander (Labour (Co-op)) is the MP for Lothian East, elected at the general election of 4 July 2024. Douglas Alexander took the seat for Labour in July 2024 with 23,555 votes (49.0%), ahead of Lyn Jardine (Scottish National Party) on 10,290. 48,102 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 75,456, 63.7% of those registered. The majority was 13,265.
Key figures
What the figures show
Compared with other constituencies, Lothian East has the 23rd lowest share of children in low income families after housing costs of the 650 constituencies with this figure (11.8%).
2,173 children in Lothian East were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 11.8% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it fell from 11.0% in 2021/22 to 8.9% in 2024/25.
Workplaces in Lothian East accounted for 26,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 3,305 local units for March 2026.
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 79.8% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 6.0 points. 18.4% were economically inactive.
Median annual pay for full-time work was £35,353 for jobs in Lothian East and £38,761 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). In April 2024 the residents' figure was £38,574. The residents' figure ranks 291st highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 1,405 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 2.3%. September 2025 had 1,210.
MP
Mr Douglas Alexander, Labour (Co-op)
- MP for Lothian East since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Mr Douglas Alexander on this site
In Parliament
What Mr Douglas Alexander said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (15 July 2026). Hansard search returns 325 spoken contributions by Mr Douglas Alexander since 4 July 2024.
Let me assure my hon. Friend that we are committed to bringing economic opportunity to every part of Scotland.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
In the words of the incoming Prime Minister, we’re up for it, as far as devolving power from Holyrood is concerned. Alas, many of the powers rest with the Scottish Government.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Yes. On that there is cross-party consensus. I can attest to that as the constituency Member of Parliament in Lothian East, where we have had decades of not just sustainable power that is carbon-free, but really high-quality jobs, excellent apprenticeships and stimulus to the …
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Whether it is Hunterston in my hon. Friend’s constituency or Torness in my own constituency, Scotland has a proud history of harnessing civil nuclear power to bring jobs and growth to Scotland.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
An awareness of all those issues is not simply for the incoming Prime Minister, but for anybody who reads a newspaper in Scotland. What we have witnessed is a travesty of the potential of devolution.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 27 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Alexander | Labour | 23,555 | 49.0% | +18.5 |
| Lyn Jardine | Scottish National Party | 10,290 | 21.4% | −13.4 |
| Scott Hamilton | Conservative | 5,535 | 11.5% | −16.0 |
| Robert Davies | Reform UK | 3,039 | 6.3% | |
| Duncan Dunlop | Liberal Democrat | 2,649 | 5.5% | −0.8 |
| Shona McIntosh | Scottish Green Party | 2,477 | 5.1% | |
| George Kerevan | Alba Party | 557 | 1.2% |
Result summary as published: Lab gain from SNP. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Labour 49.0% | Scottish National Party 21.4% | 13,265 | 63.8% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Scottish National Party 34.8% | Labour 30.5% | 2,207 | 71.2% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Lothian East lies within East Lothian.
- East Lothian S12000010
Who has power over Lothian East
Every body that makes decisions for Lothian East, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
- Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government makes law for Scotland on devolved subjects
Level 6: National government
- Lothian East this page: Mr Douglas Alexander (Labour (Co-op)) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Lothian East?
Mr Douglas Alexander (Labour (Co-op)), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Lothian East?
The House of Commons Library records 23,555 votes for Douglas Alexander of Labour and a majority of 13,265; 63.7% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Lothian East?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 1,405, 2.3% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average salary in Lothian East?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £38,761 (April 2025).
How many children in Lothian East live in low income families?
2,173 children under 16, 11.8%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.