In that year, the SNP’s Calum Kerr was elected to serve at Westminster.
But in the General Election two years later, the Conservatives won the seat with John Lamont, who went on to win again in 2019.
Despite the trials and tribulations of the SNP in the five years since, their prospective MP, David Wilson, believes victory is a real possibility, while also acknowledging that it’s “on a knife edge”.
He said: “The one time I would agree with John Lamont is that it is going to be him or me. Labour lost their deposit in 2019 and I don’t think people have forgiven the Lib Dems for the coalition years.”
Mr Wilson, who grew up in Bute in the 1990s, started in hospitality, running hotels in Australia and back home in Scotland.
For the last five years he has worked for the National Trust in Scotland, managing all their heritage properties in Dumfries & Galloway.
He has been on a political journey over the years and was a member of the Liberal Democrats in 2015/16, a student at the time he was drawn to the party’s pledge on free tuition.
However, he changed his mind on the need for independence “not because of Brexit but more as a consequence of Brexit”.
It wasn’t until 2019 that he joined the SNP and is now campaigning hard to overturn a 5,000 Tory majority last time around.
He said: “Locally de-population is a big issue and the Tories immigration policy is, if anything, harming the Borders, cost of living is a massive issue for people, public services are another huge issue and, obviously, I’m a member of the SNP so I campaign on independence but more than anything my message, and my pitch to voters, is trying to give them their voice back.
“The last Parliament the Tories have went so far off their manifesto nobody can say what they voted for from the last Parliament. I never actually intended to do this, I never really wanted to do this until a couple of years ago but I changed my mind because my trust in politicians is lower than its ever been.
“I think it’s time that someone who is not a career politician puts himself into the fray to try and give people a voice.”
Mr Wilson added: “This election is on a knife edge. It’s going to come down to turn-out. We’ve got the best chance we’ve had since 2015 but it depends who turns out on the day.”
The candidates for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk are: John Lamont (Conservatives), David Wilson (SNP), Ray Georgeson (Liberal Democrats); Caitlin Stott (Labour), Neil Mackinnon (Greens), Carolyn Grant (Reform), Ellie Merton (Independent); Hamish Goldie-Scot (Scottish Family Party).
Mr Lamont has been the constituency’s MP since 2017