The NHS worker from Fiji, the Dutch environmentalist and the housing campaigner
Meet your new Edinburgh constituency MSPs whose backgrounds reflect the city’s diverse population
The Scottish Parliament elections brought in a lot of new faces to represent the Edinburgh and the Lothians.
There were some high-profile departures - most notably Scotland’s Culture Minister Angus Robertson losing his Edinburgh Central seat to the Greens’ Lorna Slater.
There were also nine new arrivals as the election saw the highest turnover of MSPs since the Holyrood parliament was established in 1999.
We caught up with the three constituency MSPs entering parliament for the first time - Simita Kumar for Edinburgh South Western, Sanne Dijkstra-Downie for Edinburgh Northern and Kate Campbell for Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent - so you could get to know them a little better.
Simita Kumar
Simita Kumar’s journey to Holyrood has been marked by a rapid rise through the SNP ranks.
The healthcare worker turned councillor secured 11,727 votes to win MSP for Edinburgh South Western, with a decisive majority.
Kumar, who moved to Scotland at 17, got into politics after a career in the NHS. Just two years after being elected as SNP councillor for Southside/Newington ward, she became leader of the SNP group at the council in 2024 - the first woman and the first ethnic minority politician to hold the position.
Growing up in Fiji in a working-class family where communities had a ‘strong awareness’ of politics influenced her early on. Later, she says, her identity as a migrant and a Scot shaped her belief in fairness and inclusion.
“Working as a councillor, you get a real sense of just how far we’ve come along and how far we still need to go. This is through the lens of gender representation, people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, and those from ethnic minorities or other underrepresented groups,” she says.
“Even in opposition, I’ve been able to bring about change for the benefit of constituents and community. I hope to continue to do that but on a bigger platform and wider scale.”
She points to advocating for holiday clubs and the allocation of Visitor Levy funding for housing as achievements at the city council.
Kumar built a career in health research and contributed to public health programmes in the NHS. She has opposed third sector cuts in Edinburgh and wants to help bring about improvements in early intervention across health and social care.
“Because of my professional background in the NHS, I strongly believe in principles of early intervention. The cuts implemented by the EIJB (the Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board which oversees social care in the Capital) go against those principles. People shouldn’t be working in political groups on the EIJB. But in practice, that is what is happening. It’s a frustrating space to be in. How can it be acceptable to cut the budget for early intervention and community-based services?
“Working in the NHS, you’re impacted by the decisions of politicians. The solid foundation of doing the best for patient care is incredibly valuable. But now being on the other side of decision-making, I’m aware we need to create a system where decisions are not being made for people but in collaboration. That real life experience is crucial when it comes to policy making but also for scrutiny.”
Kumar says her priorities are getting the basics right in communities, improving access to services, and, in her words, restoring hope.
“I’ve seen heartbreaking stories of the conditions people are living in. But I have found that those who need the greatest help don’t ask for it. I want to be as visible as possible and accessible to everyone. I’m concerned about the condition of housing, communal spaces, and access to services. Some don’t have basic things like access to a lift, stairwell cleaning, or grass cutting. We need to help people get back some pride.
“I want to make sure people know how to get help. How to access benefits, like the Scottish Child payment. But also, how to find job opportunities and GP walk-in clinics. I have found that information on how to access services isn’t always obvious. I am ready to do the work and to help support the work already being done.
“Above all I want to bring people hope. Where things are hardest people can feel knackered or ask, what’s the point of trying? I’m from a working-class background. I want to listen to what is on the ground. Not to come in as some sort of saviour but to try and better understand what works and what isn’t working for people.”
Sanne Dijkstra-Downie
Netherlands-born Sanne Dijkstra-Downie has lived in Edinburgh for over twenty years, working in the arts and culture and philanthropy sectors including work for National Galleries and National Museums of Scotland. She has also been a board member of established community organisation North Edinburgh Arts for five years. Her political career began when she was elected as councillor in 2022, but she has been a Lib Dem campaigner for the best part of two decades.
Standing outside Parliament on her first day of inductions, Dijkstra-Downie says that she joined the Liberal Democrat party as a member in 2003, due to Charles Kennedy’s opposition to the Iraq war. She also connected with the party’s focus on education, environment and civil liberties - “making sure people are able to make decisions about their own lives,” in her words.
However she describes a strong personal connection with fellow party members - and a feeling that Liberal Democrats were genuinely motivated to help their communities - as what kept her engaged with the party. “I joined the party for certain policy reasons but I stayed because I found a family, a community of people who just care about their work and what they do,” she said.
During the swearing-in of MSPs last week, Dijkstra-Downie, was the first MSP to make her affirmation in the Dutch language; making it one of 15 languages used by different MSPs during the swearing-in ceremony this week. Dijkstra-Downie spoke frequently during her campaign, and upon being announced winner in Edinburgh Northern, about the fact that she was born abroad, but has made Edinburgh her home. She is committed, she says, to representing all people in her constituency. After being sworn in as an MSP she echoed the words of her acceptance speech on results day: “I want everyone in Edinburgh Northern to know, regardless of which way they voted, that I will work day-in, day-out for them.”
Dijkstra-Downie says her absolute first priority is to be a good and approachable local representative: “I want to listen to people, I want to be open, transparent, work with my communities - that’s my first priority.“
On particular policy actions she says she will focus on the things which were brought up on the door during her campaign- healthcare, education, cost of living and environment. “But beyond all I just want to be somebody who people can come to and can work with,” she says. Before the election she was the net zero spokesperson for the Lib Dems - when asked if she would continue in this role she said: “we haven’t had those discussions yet but obviously it’s an interest of mine.”
As a councillor for the Forth ward in the north of the city, Dijkstra-Downie had a track record of speaking out for better cycling and pedestrian infrastructure and more environmental protections for Wardie Bay. In her professional life, she helped establish an ocean protection initiative.
