Number of Scots registered to vote falls for first time since 2009

The number of people registered to vote in Scotland has fallen for the first time since 2009, according to new figures from the National Records of Scotland.

Between March and December 2015, the number registered for Scottish Parliament and local government elections fell by around 100,000 (2.5 per cent), while UK election registration fell by 139,000 (3.4 per cent).

The drop follows Government changes to the system of electoral registration, so that individuals rather than households register to vote.

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Figures released by Labour earlier this month suggest around 800,000 voters disappeared from the UK electoral register after the Government changed the system to individual registration.

The Scottish Government said the proportion to fall from the register in Scotland is comparable to England and Wales.

Labour said registration numbers in university towns were most likely to be affected, leading to concerns the drop in registration would lower the number of votes for Jeremy Corbyn’s party disproportionately.

Figures published by the Guardian suggested Canterbury saw a 13 per cent drop, while there has been an 11 per cent fall in registration in Dundee West.

The number of EU citizens registered to vote in local government and Scottish Parliament elections increased by around 7,000, to nearly 96,000 (8.2 per cent).