Frequently Asked Questions — Dumfries and Galloway Constituency

Who won the Dumfries and Galloway constituency election in 2010?

Labour gained Dumfries and Galloway constituency at the 6 May 2010 General Election, taking the seat from Conservative. Labour won with a majority of 7,449 votes (14.3%). Turnout was 70.0%.

What was the swing in Dumfries and Galloway at the 2010 election?

The swing in Dumfries and Galloway was 9.1% from CON to LAB — a significant shift towards LAB. Swing is calculated using the Butler two-party formula: the average of the change in winner's vote share and the fall in the runner-up's vote share compared to the previous election here.

What does swing mean in UK elections?

Swing measures how much support has shifted between two parties compared to a previous election. The Butler swing formula — used in British election reporting since the 1950s — takes the average of the gain in the winner's vote share and the loss in the runner-up's. A 5% swing is considered large at ward level; anything above 10% is exceptional. The swing figure for Dumfries and Galloway in 2010 is shown in the statistics above.