Midlothian Dalkeith voters fear Scotland ‘lacks a voice’ ahead of General Election

Edinburgh Live spoke to Midlothian voters in Dalkeith about their most important issues ahead of the July 4 general election.

Residents who spoke to Edinburgh Live shared harsh opinions of the current administration and the party’s handling of recent issues such as the pandemic.

Adele, 50, a stand-up comedian from Dalkeith said: “When you see what’s come out after Covid, it’s disgusting.

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“My poor nana died from Covid and we never got to see her for nine weeks. And then you find out [the Conservatives] were partying, and it’s just like, really?”

Steve, 76, said he wanted “honest politicians.”

He continued: “There’s been a lot of double dealing with politicians of all sorts and recently with the betting on the election, it shows the double dealing in my opinion.

“I’m a Labour supporter. [Dalkeith] is a mining area, so it’s always been Labour.”

One resident, Faith, expressed her desire for an independent Scotland.

She said: “I’ve always said we should go independent. It’s been on the cards for a very long time. Maybe one day we’ll get it, but I don’t think I’ll get to see that.

She also shared frustration with “not getting answers” from politicians.

She continued: “I don’t know who I’m going to vote for.”

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When asked to describe Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Dalkeith residents who spoke to Edinburgh Live used words like: “incompetent”, “unreliable”, “not truthful”, “hapless”, and, according to one resident, “ar***ole.”

Lauren, 32, felt that the Tory leader does not represent the views of Scots.

She said: “I just don’t think he pays much attention to us up here. I don’t think we have much of a voice in Scotland. I think that pushes a lot of us away from politics, like myself.”

On Keir Starmer, residents who spoke to Edinburgh Live held tepid opinions of the Labour leader but welcomed a change of administration.

Ronald, 80, called Starmer “the better of the two evils”.

Adele said: I’m not keen on him either, but I’d rather that he was in charge than the Conservatives because I think they’ve made a total mess of the country.”

Faith said: “He’s right down to earth. He can relate to more people with everything.”

The Midlothian constituency includes Dalkeith, Gorebridge, Penicuik, Bonnyrigg, and Newtongrange.

SNP MP Owen Thompson has held the seat since 2019 but the district has a long history of Labour MPs.

Thompson is running for re-election in competition with Kirsty McNeill (Labour) and Keith Cockburn (Conservative), among others.

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