The county of Midlothian is an ancient one and lies just south east of the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh. The main towns are Penicuik, Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith, Loanhead and Gorebridge.
This seat contains the heart of the former Midlothian coalfield and although mining is in terminal decline the area is still predominantly industrial and working-class. New industries include precision engineering, electronics, crystal glass manufacture and printing, whilst the longer established paper-making industry is also in decline. Tourists travelling through the seat are rewarded by the presence of Dalkeith Palace, the famously elaborate Rosslyn Chapel and the less ornate Scottish Mining Museum at Newtongrange.
This seat has been held by Labour since 1955. Fittingly for a seat where the main industry used to be coal mining, both sitting MP Eric Clarke and MP from 1966 to 1992 Alex Eadie were former miners. All the seats, but one (which is held by the Liberal Democrats) on the conterminous Midlothian Council are currently held by the Labour Party.