John MacDougall Labour Lindsay Roy Labour Charles III William, Duke of Rothesay Swinney government The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP Kate Forbes MSP Sixth session Alison Johnstone MSP Angela Constance MSP Dorothy Bain KC The Rt Hon Lord Carloway KC PC United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections Local elections Referendums Starmer ministry The Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP The Rt Hon Ian Murray MP The 2008 Glenrothes by-election was a by-election held in Scotland on 6 November 2008[1] to elect a new Member of Parliament (MP) for the UK House of Commons constituency of Glenrothes in Fife, Scotland.

The seat fell vacant when the previous MP, John MacDougall (Labour), died of pleural mesothelioma on 13 August 2008, aged 60.

[2] Pleural Mesothelioma is a rare form of lung cancer caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos.

[14] The Scottish Socialist Party stood Morag Balfour, their national co-chair, who lived in Glenrothes and had been a candidate in the constituency before.

[15] Solidarity stood Louise McLeary, a community activist who lived in the part of Kirkcaldy which lies inside the constituency.

[17] In October 2009, the Scotland Office agreed a protocol to create a substitute marked register for the election.