Falkirk East (Gaelic: An Eaglais Bhreac an Ear) was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament covering part of the council area of Falkirk. It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Under the additional-member electoral system used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, it was also one of nine constituencies in the Central Scotland electoral region, which elected seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
The constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, for the 1999 Scottish Parliament election. Ahead of the 2011 Scottish Parliament election the boundaries of the seat were reformed and reshaped.First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries Boundary Commission for ScotlandScottish Parliament Constituencies Order OPSI As a result of the second periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries in 2025, the constituency was abolished from the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. Most of Falkirk East will be joined with parts of Linlithgow to become the new seat of Falkirk East and Linlithgow. Some areas will also be transferred to Falkirk West.
The seat was held by Michelle Thomson of the Scottish National Party since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.
Electoral region
The other eight constituencies of the Central Scotland region were: Airdrie and Shotts, Coatbridge and Chryston, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, East Kilbride, Falkirk West, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, Motherwell and Wishaw and Uddingston and Bellshill.
The region covered all of the Falkirk council area, all of the North Lanarkshire council area and part of the South Lanarkshire council area. From the 2026 Scottish Parliament election it will be replaced by the new Central Scotland and Lothians West electoral region.
Constituency boundaries and council area
The constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster (UK House of Commons) constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies.See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland The Holyrood constituency was subsequently itself redrawn for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, with the newly shaped Falkirk East being formed from the following electoral wards:Falkirk East: Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (map, 2015), Falkirk Council
In full: Bo'ness and Blackness, Grangemouth, Lower Braes, Upper Braes In part: Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst, Falkirk South (shared with Falkirk West constituency)
Member of the Scottish Parliament Election Member Party 1999 Cathy Peattie Labour 2011 Angus MacDonaldSNP 2021 Michelle Thomson
Election results
2020s
2010s
2000s
1990s
See also Falkirk East (UK Parliament constituency)
Footnotes
External links