Edinburgh Morningside voters give their views on General Election party leaders

The UK general election is less than three weeks away and Edinburgh voters must decide how to cast their ballots on July 4.

Edinburgh Live took to Morningside Road to ask Edinburgh South constituents what issues are most important to them in this election.

Residents who spoke to Edinburgh Live were vocal about Scottish independence, the resolution of foreign conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza were main issues, nursery costs, the National Health Service, the cost-of-living crisis and rent prices.

Susanna, a Morningside resident and recent university graduate, commented on Edinburgh South rent costs.

She said: “I moved into my flat in 2021 and the rent was about £550 and they’re putting it up to £750 when I move out. It’s criminal.”

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The state of the NHS was another common issue, with residents airing grievances on long wait times.

Amelia, a university student, said: “The services recently have been so slow. I'm still not registered with a dental surgery in Edinburgh because it’s so difficult to find an NHS dental practice.”

Residents in Edinburgh South also expressed their concerns about climate change, with some constituents sharing that they felt the issue was “not being taken seriously” in this election.

Duncan, a neuroscience lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, said: “I’m a scientist, so I understand the mass and dynamics of these things, and I can see how terrible it is. It’s just been ignored.”

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When asked to describe Rishi Sunak, Edinburgh South residents used words such as: “Out of touch”, “plain”, “comical”, “not my sort of person”, and “living in a different world.”

Amelia called Sunak “entitled” and said: “He doesn’t seem to be able to relate to real people and their real experiences.”

Adam, a Morningside resident, believed the Prime Minister was “anaemic, from a political credo point of view – I don’t think he has any strong beliefs. He’s a chimera of a man.”

Of those who spoke to Edinburgh Live, opinions of Labour leader Keir Starmer were more positive, with residents describing him as “calm”, “eloquent”, “dependable” and “dull.”

Some voiced criticism of Starmer, with Duncan saying: “He is quite disappointing. He’s certainly a much better prospect than continuing Conservatives but you want it to be someone good rather than someone not terrible.”

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The Edinburgh South constituency includes Blackford, Morningside, Liberton, Marchmont, and Oxgangs.

The district is Scotland’s only Labour constituency, hosting a voting population of 50 per cent Labour and 25 per cent Scottish National Party residents.

The remaining quarter is made up of Conservative, Greens, and Liberal Democrat voters.