Published 05 July 2024
West Dunbartonshire has elected a new Member of Parliament who will represent the area at Westminster.
Labour candidate Douglas McAllister was elected after receiving 19,312 votes during yesterday's UK General Election.
A total of 57.5.% of the electorate cast their vote today, with SNP’s Martin Docherty Hughes, who had served as the area’s MP for the past nine years, coming second with 13,302 votes.
In a UK General Election, voters are asked to mark a cross next to their preferred candidate using the first-past-the-post system. A total of 249 poll staff worked throughout the day on Thursday 4 July at 38 polling places.
The count at Clydebank Leisure Centre, which required over 100 members of staff, finished at 2.55am when the declaration was made by Returning Officer Peter Hessett.
Mr Hessett said: "Congratulations to the area's new MP, Douglas McAllister, who I am certain will do his utmost to ensure the voice of West Dunbartonshire communities is well represented in the House of Commons. Thank you also to all candidates who put themselves forward for this important role.
"I would also like to thank everyone who came out to vote. We need our communities to be engaged in the democratic process and I am glad such a large number of residents made sure their vote was counted today.
"I am also extremely proud of the efficient and thorough job done today by our poll, count, and wider election teams. Their hard work ensured a successful election for West Dunbartonshire."
Speaking after the declaration, Douglas McAllister MP said: “I want to thank the Returning Officer and all of the staff at polling stations and at the count for running such an efficient election. I also want to thank the police for their presence and support.
“Thank you to the electorate for putting your trust in me. I will work tirelessly to represent the people of West Dunbartonshire at Westminster.”
The full results are as follows: Paula Baker, Scottish Greens - 1496
Maurice Corry, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - 1474
Martin Docherty Hughes, (Scottish National Party (SNP) - 13,302
Paul Donald Kennedy, Scottish Liberal Democrats - 839
Douglas McAllister, Scottish Labour Party - 19,312
Andrew Joseph Muir, Scottish Family Party - 318
David Smith, Reform UK - 2,770
Kelly Wilson, Sovereignty - 73
The total number of rejected ballots was 123.