Banff and Buchan (UK Parliament constituency)


Banff and Buchan is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the north-east of Scotland within the Aberdeenshire council area. It elects one Member of Parliament at least once every five years using the first-past-the-post system of voting.
The seat has been held by David Duguid of the Scottish Conservative Party since June 2017, prior to which the seat had been held by the Scottish National Party since 1987, with Alex Salmond representing the seat until 2010. In 2010, Eilidh Whiteford succeeded Salmond – by then First Minister of Scotland – as the constituency's MP, but the SNP vote share fell below 50% for the first time since 1992, due to a strong challenge by the Conservative Party. In the 2015 general election, the SNP achieved its best ever result in the constituency, with Whiteford winning over 60% of the vote and increasing her majority to 31.4%. The constituency saw the second-largest swing to the Conservatives in all of Scotland, bested only by the swing the Conservatives achieved in defeating Salmond in the neighboring seat of Gordon. In the 2019 election, Banff and Buchan's Conservative vote share bucked the Scottish trend and increased by 2.1%, increasing Duguid’s majority to over 4,000 votes and taking over 50% of the vote share.

Constituency profile

The Aberdeenshire council area as a whole voted against Scottish independence in 2014. Alongside Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Banff and Buchan was one of the two Scottish constituencies which voted to leave the European Union at the 2016 European Union membership referendum.
A mostly rural constituency, it takes in the towns of Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Turriff, and the main industries are fishing and tourism.

Boundaries

1983–1997: Banff and Buchan District.
1997–2005: The Banff and Buchan District electoral divisions of Banff and Portsoy, Deveron, Fraserburgh North, Fraserburgh South, Mid Buchan, Peterhead North, Peterhead South, and Ugie, Cruden and Boddam.
2005–present: The Aberdeenshire Council wards of Durn, Banff West and Boyndie, Banff, Aberchirder, Macduff, Gamrie King Edward, Buchan North, Fraserburgh West, Fraserburgh North, Fraserburgh East, Fraserburgh South, Buchan North East, South Buchan, Central Buchan, Lonmay and St Fergus, Mintlaw Old Deer, Mintlaw Longside, Boddam Inverugie, Blackhouse, Buchanhaven, Peterhead Central Roanheads, Clerkhill, Dales Towerhill, Cruden, Turriff West, Turriff East, Upper Ythan, and Fyvie Methlick.
As created in 1983, the constituency replaced part of East Aberdeenshire and part of Banffshire.
New boundaries were used for the 2005 general election, as recommended by the Fifth Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland, and the constituency is now one of five covering the Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City council areas. The Banff and Buchan constituency is entirely within the Aberdeenshire area, covering a northern portion of it. To the south, Gordon includes part of the Aberdeenshire area and part of the Aberdeen City area. Further south, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine is entirely within the Aberdeenshire area and Aberdeen North and Aberdeen South are entirely within the Aberdeen City area.
The Banff and Buchan constituency continues to include the port towns of Peterhead and Fraserburgh. It also now includes Turriff, which was formerly within the Gordon constituency.

Members of Parliament

Election results

Elections in the 2010s

1: After nominations were closed, Hoque was suspended from the Labour Party when he was charged with multiple driving offences.
The swing of 10.6% to the Conservatives in Banff and Buchan was the largest swing in Scotland at the 2010 general election.

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s