Constituency report: Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale

Credit: ITV Border

The Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale constituency is the only constituency in the country to have been served by a Conservative MP over the last five years.

David Mundell took the seat in 2010, after polling 38% of the vote at the last general election.

But in the wake of last year's referendum, and with big changes predicted across Scotland at this election, the performances all the parties vying for the seat - the Conservatives, Labour, the SNP and the Liberal Democrats - is far from predictable.

The constituency

The Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale constituency is one of the largest and most rural in the whole of the UK.

Formed in 2005, the seat's boundaries range from the Solway in the south, stretching north via small towns like Lockerbie and Sanquhar, to Innerleithen in the north east.

In 2010, Labour came second to the Conservatives, followed by the Liberal Democrats and then the SNP. The breakdown of results was as follows:

The Conservative party had a 9.3% lead over Labour at the last election Credit: ITV Border

So what do those voting this year need to know?

At a glance:

  • Farming is important to the economy

  • Textiles have traditionally been one of the region's main industries

  • Tourism is a growing trade in the area

Traditionally farming and textiles have been the region's main industries, but both have suffered over the past few decades.

Now the area is looking to tourism as a way of bringing wealth into the area.

But for some voters, there isn't enough support for trade.

The owner of a hotel in Moffat believes more needs to be done to promote the area as a tourist hotspot.

For others, more needs to be done to overcome the transport problems in this rural and isolated area.

They believe a lack of good transport links is driving people away.

The candidates

We asked some of the candidates standing for election on May 7 to tell us what it is that they think matters in the constituency:

Liberal Democrat candidate Amanda Kubie Credit: ITV Border
Conservative candidate David Mundell Credit: ITV Border
SNP candidate Emma Harper Credit: ITV Border
Labour candidate Archie Dryburgh Credit: ITV Border

The full list of candidates for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale is as follows:

  • Archie Dryburgh (Labour)

  • Emma Harper (SNP)

  • Jody Jamieson (Green)

  • Amanda Kubie (Liberal Democrats)

  • David Mundell (Conservative)

  • Kevin Newton (UKIP)

Watch Lori Carnochan's full report on the Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale, and Tweeddale constituency: