Alan Cumming’s Edinburgh flat faces electoral quiz

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

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.

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.