Scotland · 70,838Boundary · 2023

Edinburgh South

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

A safe Lab seat, won with 53% of the vote in 2024.

Scotland's Secretary of State is most visible right now through active constituency work rather than parliamentary rebellion. Ian Murray -- who holds the Cabinet role of Secretary of State for Scotland -- voted in lockstep with the government across all recent parliamentary divisions, including backing Labour's rejection of seven House of Lords amendments to the Pension Schemes Bill in April 2026, supporting ministers retaining the power to direct how pension funds invest savers' money. He also voted to reject a Lords amendment that would have strengthened fly-tipping enforcement powers. There are no rebel votes on record.

Murray's parliamentary participation stands at 65% -- below the Commons average, though Cabinet ministers routinely miss votes due to ministerial duties. He is a 100% party-line voter across 316 recorded votes, consistently backing workers' rights and progressive taxation measures while voting against Lords amendments and parliamentary scrutiny mechanisms at notably higher rates than many colleagues. His stance on welfare expansion and civil liberties sits below the Labour average. Where he diverges from his party, it is broadly in a more cautious or socially conservative direction -- he votes against assisted dying access at a rate 19 points below the party average, and is more opposed to the measure overall.

316
Commons votes
This parliament
£33k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
70.8k
Electorate
2024 GE

Lab held for 5 consecutive elections.

Current Member of Parliament

Ian Murray

Ian Murray

Labour Party

The Rt Hon Ian Murray is the Labour MP for Edinburgh South, and has been an MP continually since 6 May 2010. He currently holds the Government posts of Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology), and Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport).

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Voting at a Glance

A safe Lab seat, won with 53% of the vote in 2024.

2024 General Election

§ 06This week in Westminster.Live · today’s sittingOrder Paper · refreshed daily

Murray’s scheduled Commons activity this week — whipped divisions, oral questions, debates — drawn from the House of Commons Order Paper.

§ 07The record, at a glance.329 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Murray has cast the most ballots — a proxy for engagement, not direction. Notable votes are the moments where the whip was free or where they broke ranks.

Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted · cumulative this Parliament
Economy
61
Taxation
60
Employment
37
Crime & Policing
31
Education
30
Welfare and Benefits
28
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip

No rebellions or free votes recorded yet.

§ 08The local picture.1 wards

Constituencies are not uniform. Below — the local council make-up, key facts worth knowing, and the neighbouring seats on either side.

WardCouncillorVotesParty
LibertongilmertonLesley MacinnesScottish
LibertongilmertonLezley Marion CameronLabour P
LibertongilmertonMartha Mattos CoelhoScottish
LibertongilmertonPhil DoggartConserva
Median income
£32,600
HMRC SPI 2024
Next · dig deeperEvery division, question, speech and committee record

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More constituency data is being added, including local issue analysis and historical trends. Learn about our methodology. View data sources & attribution.