Tuesday April 21st 2026
Ballot box
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A dozen candidates hoping to be elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent Midlothian and Borders constituencies have made their pitch for votes.
Scotland is going to the polls to elect 129 members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs).
Scottish Borders Council’s chief executive, David Robertson, is the returning officer for two constituents – Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale and Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire.
There are five candidates battling it out in the Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale constituency and a further seven in Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire.
Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale:
Keith Cockburn (Conservative and Unionist Party)
It’s a privilege to be standing for election as the Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate for my home constituency of Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale. Living in Innerleithen and raising my family here, I know well the problems that affect our area because they affect me too.
I have a strong sense of traditional, family values. I care about people and our society, and I enjoy serving the community as I did during my term as a councillor in Tweeddale.
My working life for the past 35 years has been spent in the print trade, starting out as an apprentice printer, with my current position being sales executive with Scotland’s biggest commercial print company.
I believe my decades in business would make a valuable contribution to a Scottish Parliament that spends far too little time stimulating economic growth and far too much on how to waste taxpayers’ money.
The public want an end to distracted politics and constitutional upheaval and want a return to common-sense politics and strong governance that delivers economic growth and a sense of safety and security.
For these reasons I believe I would be the best choice to represent Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale as its next member of the Scottish Parliament.
Daniel Coleman (Labour Party)
Having campaigned across Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, I have spoken to many voters who tell me the same things: difficulty seeing a GP, roads full of potholes, inadequate public transport, too few opportunities for young people, and pensioners waiting too long for the care and services they rely on.
The SNP government has failed Scotland. Economic and social decline has become normalised and our communities deserve better.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Scotland needs a government focused on delivery and on doing the right thing for the people we seek to represent. That is why I am standing as a candidate in this election.
My ambition is to be part of the next Scottish Labour Government that restores trust in politics, invests in the NHS, improves educational standards and creates real opportunities for young people across the country.
I know first-hand the difference a Labour government can make. Labour policies gave my family security and gave me the opportunity to go to university and build a career as an economist. I want to ensure everyone has the same life chances I had.
Duncan Angus Melville Dunlop (Liberal Democrat)
I was born on a hill sheep farm in the Highlands and have lived in Dunbar for nearly six years with my wife and our two kids, who go to local schools.
I want to be your MSP because I deeply care about our community and believe in taking real action to make our lives better.
For most of the last fifteen years, I’ve been the CEO of Who Cares? Scotland. Where I fought for children in care who have been dealt the worst hand. Under my leadership we didn’t just talk about change – we made it happen.
I’ve seen first-hand what happens when people fall through the cracks through no fault of their own – it’s unnecessary and unacceptable.
I want to be your MSP, as I’ve seen too many politicians make empty promises, but they mostly get in the way instead of helping us thrive. The Liberal Democrats are different. We are fundamentally liberal. We respect people and will empower you to make a difference in your lives.
We have a local growing economy, but successive governments just interfere and make it harder for our businesses to thrive. We need policies that support growth without getting in the way.
Schools should have the freedom to innovate and help our children succeed. Our healthcare system must be accessible and local, especially for end-of-life care.
As your MSP, I will deliver results. I’ve got a proven track record. I’ve delivered progressive solutions on budget and on time, showing that experience and passion can make a real difference.
Carolyn Grant (Reform UK)
I was born and raised in Glasgow and in 2005 came to work in the Borders on a six month contract in IT.
I liked it so much I moved here permanently in 2010.
My background is in newspaper advertising and IT. I have worked in the Borders now for almost 20 years, latterly supporting schools IT in the area and concentrating on Galashiels primaries up till 2016.
I am living and working in the Borders as I love the people here. They are very friendly and community minded with good family values. I particularly enjoy local traditions, including the common ridings which are a great and unique feature of this beautiful area.
I joined Reform as I felt none of the current parties were working in the interest of the public and were just coming up with the same old ideas and policies. Nor were they supporting traditional British and Scottish values.
Net Zero policies and too much red tape has damaged our farming industry. Reform wants farmers with farms under 500 Ha to be able to manage their own land the way they know best. We also want to encourage more young people into farming.
There is a severe lack of affordable housing for Borderers. Local housing associations are under increasing pressure from people looking for homes.
Reform UK Scotland’s small business policies will encourage new entrepreneurs to help regenerate Border businesses and generate more jobs.
The NHS is the biggest employer in the Borders but there is a severe shortage of medical staff. Reform will bring people back into NHS frontline medicine by putting them on zero basic rate tax for three years, and writing off their student loans after 10 years of NHS service or pro rata depending on length of service.
Calum Kerr (Scottish National Party)
I’m standing to be a strong local voice for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale because this is my home, and I care deeply about the future of our area.
The biggest issue we face is making sure people here can truly thrive. The cost of living is rising everywhere, but here it has a sharper edge. Higher fuel and transport costs, rising energy bills and stretched local services are pushing too many families into difficult choices. In rural areas, services can still feel out of reach. In growing parts of Midlothian, infrastructure is struggling to keep pace.
These challenges are connected. They shape everyday life and limit opportunity, especially for young people.
The SNP has shown that different choices can deliver, from reducing child poverty to improving NHS waiting times. With over 25 years of experience across business, public service and politics, I will focus on building on that progress and making sure it reaches every part of our area.
I will be backed by a manifesto that delivers action on the cost of living, a £2 bus fare cap, investment in affordable housing, expanded childcare and better access to GPs.
This area has real strength and potential. It deserves representation that delivers.
Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire:
I’m not a traditional politician, I’m a single dad, a foster carer, and someone who works for a living, just like most people. I deal with the same pressures, the same bills, and the same worries about the future.
I belong to and have stayed in the Borders, and I work hard to make it a better place to live. People’s needs drive everything I’ve done, I’ve always shown up, spoken up, and stood up for our communities. I care about this place because this is our home, and I want it to thrive for the next generation.
I’m standing for Holyrood because I’m fed up with political parties turning up at election time, making promises, and then disappearing again. Too often, decisions are made by people who don’t understand what life is actually like here.
For me, it’s simple, safer schools, real opportunities for young people through apprenticeships, and proper support for older people. They are not an inconvenience, and I’m sick of seeing them treated like one by politicians. I support WASPI women and care villages so people can live with dignity.
I’m here to represent people properly, speak honestly, and actually listen and I’d really appreciate your vote and the opportunity to represent the Scottish Borders.
Ray Georgeson (Liberal Democrat)
I’ve had a successful, 35-year career in the recycling industry, preceded by an early career in textiles. I’ve had senior roles in public and community organisations and ran my own business for more than a decade. I’m not a conventional career politician, but I believe in the power of politics to change life for the better.
Before moving to Berwickshire with my wife and teenage sons several years ago, I was a councillor and council leader in Yorkshire – I contributed to many positive changes in the town I represented.
I want to serve our communities here where I live in the Borders. I love living here, we are lucky to have strong communities, safe towns, lovely countryside and coastline and much more – but we know that everyone is feeling the pain with the cost of living, rising fuel and energy costs, extreme pressure on our NHS and more – and that feeling that nothing really works properly.
We deserve better – Scottish Liberal Democrats have plans for change with fairness at its heart that address many of the issues our nation and region face. I will repay the trust you put in me when you vote Liberal Democrat on May 7th .
Rachael Hamilton (Conservative and Unionist Party)
I live locally so I’m biased, but I believe the Borders is the best place in Scotland to live, work, start a business or raise a family.
I’m determined to keep it that way and I understand the key issues that affect local people on a daily basis.
I’ve put forward positive ideas and constructive solutions to bring down bills on workers and families, increase support for businesses, reduce NHS waiting lists, deliver more GP appointments, fix the roads, extend railway routes, and protect struggling rural services.
I believe I’m the best choice for local people because elections are always so close here and this vote will once again come down to a straight choice between me and the SNP candidate.
If you vote for me, I will focus on the issues that local people care about most, especially the cost-of-living and NHS waiting times.
I won’t waste any time on distractions that don’t improve your daily life, such as the divisive issue of independence, which the SNP are obsessed about.
I’ve been so proud to represent our local area and I would relish the opportunity to keep standing up for the Borders at every chance I get.”
Terry Howson (Alliance to Liberate Scotland)
It is time to vote Alliance to Liberate Scotland! Time to push open the door to Independence. Independence, nothing else and nothing less.
I believe in Scotland. In the energy and power of its people, its gas, wind and wave power and the vast wealth of its land.
But for too long Scotland has been trapped in a toxic and unequal union and it is time to set her free from Westminster Rule. Free to take her rightful place on the world stage and free to be an independent country and to rule herself.
The time is now!
Kaymarie Hughes (Labour Party)
I have a lifelong commitment to fairness, community and social justice.
With a background in education and social work, I have seen at first-hand how poverty and inequality affect families across the Scottish Borders, shaping my determination to fight for the communities too often left behind.
A long-standing community volunteer and former community councillor, my work has always focused on practical change at grassroots level. I have served as chair of Scottish Borders LGBT+ Equality, challenging discrimination and increasing visibility in one of Scotland’s most rural regions.
Through my trade union work with Unison, I have spent more than a decade standing up for workers as branch secretary and lead negotiator in local government. I have led successful campaigns to protect local services, including school libraries and have been a vocal advocate for properly funded council services.
During the pandemic I launched Everyone East Well in Hawick, a community initiative tackling food poverty and supporting families in crisis.
I am standing to champion well-funded public services, improved working conditions and pay and for a Scotland where no-one is left behind.
James Alexander Langan (Reform UK)
This is my first time standing for election for any party. I have decided to do this to put more money in the pockets of hard-working Scots, to bring real change to Holyrood and to protect the Union from the SNP’s plans for another divisive referendum.
Reform are on the side of hard-working people in Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire and right across Scotland.
We believe in lower taxes to help working people keep more of what they earn, ending costly Net Zero measures that push up bills, standing up for free speech and common-sense policies and backing local businesses and create real economic growth.
James Redpath (Scottish National Party)
As someone born and raised in the Borders, in the village of Gordon, I have seen first-hand and lived through the issues folk face in our beautiful part of the country.
We’re all feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis caused by poor decisions made by politicians in London – it’s time to say enough is enough. We Borderers often feel forgotten by politicians who put their careers before representing the people that put them in the job.
I’m standing to represent the area that helped raise me, as I know we deserve better. I have the skills and determination to fight for every single person in Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, and I will give us a seat at the table to get stuff done, rather than snipe from the sidelines.
My family have been serving the people of the Borders for more years than I can remember. Now, I’m asking for folk to put their trust in me to be their local champion in the Scottish Parliament.
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