In her victory speech, Hilton praised the courage of preceding MSP Bill Walker's ex-wives.

[2] Alex Salmond accused her of running a dishonest campaign, including the circulation of a leaflet criticised by the SNP as "demonstrably untrue".

[3] In the Scottish Parliament election of 2016, Hilton lost her seat to the SNP's Shirley-Anne Somerville, who she had previously defeated at the by-election three years earlier.

Along with the loss of the neighbouring Cowdenbeath constituency, this left the Labour Party without parliamentary representation in Fife for the first time since 1910.

Hilton was the Labour Party candidate for Dumfermline and West Fife in the 2017 and 2019 general elections, but both times came second behind the incumbent SNP MP Douglas Chapman.