Pauline Stafford

Pauline Stafford is a Scottish politician and classical pianist who has served as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Bathgate since 2026, representing the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Career

Music Stafford is a professional classical pianist who has worked with the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCOS). NYCOS is Scotland's national youth singing organisation, providing opportunities for young people from age 0 to 25 across its national and regional choirs, and operating a West Lothian regional choir among fourteen choirs across the country.

West Lothian Council Stafford was elected as a SNP councillor for Bathgate Ward (Ward 8) on West Lothian Council at the 2022 Scottish local elections. The ward covers the town of Bathgate and returned four councillors using the single transferable vote system. She subsequently served as Depute Leader of the SNP opposition group on the council. During her time on the council she campaigned against closures of nurseries, community centres and swimming pools in the area, and against restrictions to the West Lothian Scottish Welfare Payment by the Labour and Conservative-run administration. She also topped the SNP's regional list for the new Central Scotland and Lothians West region, ahead of Neil Gray, the party's Health Secretary.

2026 Scottish Parliament election At the 2026 Scottish Parliament election on 7 May 2026, Stafford was elected as the first MSP for the Bathgate constituency, defeating Labour's Jenny Young into second place. The full result was:

Candidate Party Votes % Pauline Stafford Scottish National Party 13,594 40.8 Jenny Young Scottish Labour Party 8,007 24.0 David McLennan Reform UK 7,511 22.5 Peter Heggie Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party 2,091 6.3 Stephen Harte Scottish Liberal Democrats 1,937 5.8 Gus Ferguson British Unionist Party 227 0.7 SNP majority 5,587 16.7 Total valid votes 33,367 Turnout 49.1%

On declaring her victory, Stafford said the result was a win for "hope over hate". The Bathgate constituency was created from the former Linlithgow seat as part of the Second Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries, with the remainder of the old Linlithgow area joining part of former Falkirk East to form the new Falkirk East and Linlithgow constituency. Its predecessor constituency Linlithgow had been held by Fiona Hyslop for the SNP since 2011, who did not stand again at the 2026 election.