Edinburgh East.
Scottish National Party MP Tommy Sheppard holds the seat.
1 Jun 2026
Edinburgh East's SNP MP is making his case for Scottish independence in the press, but there is almost no parliamentary activity on record to report. A recent article from April 2026 shows Sheppard arguing that the SNP must secure majority voter support before pressing for another independence referendum -- framing the next election as a de facto mandate-building exercise. He acknowledged the party is operating with "fewer boots on the ground than for many a year," a candid admission of reduced campaign capacity heading into what the SNP hopes will be a decisive contest.
Beyond that, the data is sparse to the point of being empty. Sheppard's voting participation stands at 0%, with no recorded votes, no rebel votes, and no speech data available. Whether this reflects a gap in data collection, an absence from the chamber, or a period of low parliamentary business is unclear from the figures alone. No committee memberships are on record.
Sheppard has represented Edinburgh East since 2015 -- a decade in the Commons -- but this briefing cannot draw on a voting record or speech pattern to characterise how he represents the seat day-to-day. The one data point available is a news interview focused on independence strategy rather than local or legislative work. Constituents wanting a fuller picture of his parliamentary activity should check Hansard directly, as the data underlying this briefing does not currently support a meaningful assessment.
2019 — full result.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy SheppardWON | SNP | 23,165 | 48.5 |
| Sheila Gilmore | Lab | 12,748 | 26.7 |
| Eleanor Price | Con | 6,549 | 13.7 |
| Jill Reilly | LD | 3,289 | 6.9 |
| Claire Miller | Grn | 2,064 | 4.3 |
Turnout 47,815
Prior contests.
| Year | Winner | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Tommy Sheppard | SNP | 42.5 |
| 2015 | Tommy Sheppard | SNP | 49.2 |
| 2010 | Gilmore, Sheila | Lab | 43.4 |
Sources, methods & last update
2010 boundary review
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Census 2021
LSOA-aggregated · rolling 12mo