‘Scotland in microcosm’: Midlothian voters eye Labour after months of SNP turmoil

Families in Midlothian struggle to make ends meet, while others feel that public services have been allowed to deteriorate. Composite: The Guardian/Guardian Design

Beneath the red brick chimney at Lady Victoria Colliery in Newtongrange, Midlothian, the Tuesday morning tour is under way. Now home to the National Mining Museum Scotland, this was one of seven pits that employed thousands of men until the industry’s bitter demise.

Miners and their families voted one way, the tour guide explains. “Everybody voted Labour back then. A ham sandwich could get voted in as a Labour MP.”