Alan Cumming’s Edinburgh flat faces electoral quiz

A flat purchased by Scottish actor Alan Cumming is facing an investigation by an electoral authority after questions were raised about the star’s eligibility to vote.

Alan Cumming's new Edinburgh flat will be subject to an inquiry by the city's electoral authority. Picture: Robert Perry

The £82,000 property in Edinburgh’s Polwarth area was bought by the X-Men actor with a view to casting a vote in next year’s Scottish independence referendum.

But the city’s electoral watchdog is to probe whether the Aberfeldy-born star intends to make the property his main residence.

Owning a property in Scotland would not be sufficient to allow an individual to vote. According to a spokesman for Edinburgh’s electoral registration office, Cumming would be required to live in the flat for at least six months of the year.

Referring to the purchase of the one-bedroom property, Cumming said: “I don’t want to miss the opportunity to make an independent Scotland a reality. That’s why I’ve made sure I have a Scottish address again and am able to vote.”

Yes Scotland has confirmed that the Hollywood actor’s flat is his main and only residence in Scotland.

A spokesman for the Lothian Valuation Joint Board said: “We have instigated a review of the registration. We have information that he is not resident and there has been an application [to vote in the referendum].”

The body has said it will write to Cumming requesting proof that the flat will be his main residence.

Alan Cumming has been a high-profile supporter of Scottish independence. He appeared alongside First Minister Alex Salmond and a host of other A-list names, including fellow Hollywood actor Brian Cox, as the Yes campaign was launched in May last year in Edinburgh’s Fountainpark complex.