Ruth Elliott
Labour councillor for Southside/Newington on City of Edinburgh Council.
Ruth Elliott gave Scottish Labour a City of Edinburgh Council seat on 3 September 2026, topping the Southside/Newington by-election on 2,153 first preferences, about a fortnight before Michael Marra won the party leadership.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What does a Labour win in Southside/Newington say about Edinburgh politics?
Timeline for Ruth Elliott
Won Southside/Newington with 2,153 votes
UK Local Elections 2026: Marra's MSPs vote for right to decideBackground
Ruth Elliott represents Southside/Newington, Ward 15 of City of Edinburgh Council, for Scottish Labour. She was elected at a by-election in September 2026.
The vacancy arose after the sitting councillor, Simita Kumar, won a seat in the Scottish Parliament in May 2026 and joined John Swinney's government as a minister. In the by-election Elliott took 2,153 first preferences, against 1,978 for the Scottish Greens and 757 for the SNP. Of the electorate, 27.3% voted, a total of 6,741 ballots.
The same night the Scottish Greens won the city's other vacancy, Portobello/Craigmillar. The Scotsman reported both contests as losses for the SNP, which left the governing party without either Edinburgh seat in play.
Her win came before a leadership change
Elliott's result arrived at a turning point for her party. Polling day in Southside/Newington was 3 September 2026, with the count declared in the early hours of 4 September; she finished 175 votes ahead of the Scottish Greens, with the SNP a distant third on 757. The Scotsman described the seat as a gain from the SNP.
Sixteen days later Michael Marra was elected Scottish Labour leader, beating Joe Fagan by 4,266 votes to 2,485, and on 22 September he led all 17 Labour MSPs behind the right-to-decide motion at Holyrood. Her win therefore belongs to the weeks before the change of leader, not to any bounce from it.
Who won the Southside/Newington by-election in Edinburgh?
Why was there a by-election in Southside/Newington?
What was the turnout in the Southside/Newington by-election?
