Frequently Asked Questions — Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Constituency

Who won the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency election in 2019?

Scottish National Party gained Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency at the 12 December 2019 General Election, taking the seat from Labour. Scottish National Party won with a majority of 1,243 votes (2.6%). Turnout was 64.5%.

What was the swing in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath at the 2019 election?

The swing in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath was 1.6% from LAB to SNP — a modest shift towards SNP. 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 Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath in 2019 is shown in the statistics above.