Edinburgh Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Central | |
---|---|
Former Burgh constituency for the House of Commons | |
Subdivisions of Scotland | City of Edinburgh |
1885–2005 | |
Number of members | One |
Replaced by |
Edinburgh East Edinburgh North & Leith Edinburgh South West Edinburgh West |
Created from | Edinburgh |
Edinburgh Central was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (at Westminster) from 1885 to 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
In 1999, a Scottish Parliament constituency was created with the same name and boundaries, and continues in use. See Edinburgh Central (Scottish Parliament constituency).
From 1925 until 1999, the Member of Parliament for the Westminster constituency was an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees of the National Library of Scotland. Since 1999, that role has been taken by the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Scottish Parliament constituency.
Boundaries
1885-1918: The Municipal Wards of St. Giles, George Square, and St. Leonard, except so much as is comprised in the Edinburgh East Division (being the part to the north of a line drawn along the centres of East and West Richmond Streets).
1918-1950: The George Square, St. Giles' and St. Leonard's Municipal Wards of Edinburgh.
1950-1955: The George Square, Holyrood, and St Giles wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.
1955-1974: The George Square, Holyrood, and St Giles wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh; and part of Gorgie-Dalry ward.
1974-1983: The George Square, Gorgie-Dalry, Holyrood, and St Giles wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh; and part of Merchiston ward.
1983-1997: The City of Edinburgh District electoral divisions of Dalry/Shandon, Haymarket/Tollcross, Murrayfield/Dean, New Town/Stockbridge, and St Giles/Holyrood.
1997-2005: The City of Edinburgh District electoral divisions of Dalry/Shandon, Fountainbridge/Tollcross, Moat/Stenhouse, Murrayfield/Dean, and St Giles/Holyrood.
The 1997-2005 boundaries covered a central portion of the City of Edinburgh council area, including Edinburgh Old Town, the West End, Holyrood and Murrayfield. The constituency was one of six covering the city council area.
At the 2005 general election, the constituency area was divided between Edinburgh East, Edinburgh North and Leith, Edinburgh South West and Edinburgh West.[1]
Member of Parliament
Election results
Elections in the 2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alistair Darling | 14,495 | 42.1 | -5.0 | |
Liberal Democrat | Andrew Myles | 6,353 | 18.5 | +5.4 | |
Conservative | Alastair Orr | 5,643 | 16.4 | -4.8 | |
SNP | Ian McKee | 4,832 | 14.1 | -1.7 | |
Scottish Green | Graeme William Farmer | 1,809 | 5.3 | +3.9 | |
Scottish Socialist | Kevin Williamson | 1,258 | 3.7 | N/A | |
Majority | 8,142 | 23.7 | |||
Turnout | 34,390 | 52.0 | -15.1 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | -5.2 | |||
Elections in the 1990s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alistair Darling | 20,125 | 47.1 | ||
Conservative | Mike D.A. Scott-Hayward | 9,055 | 21.2 | ||
SNP | Fiona Hyslop | 6,750 | 15.8 | ||
Liberal Democrat | Miss Karen J. Utting | 5,605 | 13.1 | ||
Scottish Green | Miss Linda M. Hendry | 607 | 1.4 | ||
Referendum | Austin G. Skinner | 495 | 1.2 | ||
Independent | Mark E. Benson | 98 | 0.2 | ||
Majority | 11,070 | 25.9 | |||
Turnout | 63,969 | 66.8 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | +8.4 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alistair Darling | 15,189 | 38.8 | ||
Conservative | Paul Martin | 13,063 | 33.4 | ||
SNP | Ms. Lynne J. Devine | 5,539 | 14.2 | ||
Liberal Democrat | Andrew B. Myles | 4,500 | 11.5 | ||
Scottish Green | Robin Harper | 630 | 1.6 | ||
Liberal | Richard Wilson | 235 | 0.6 | ||
Majority | 2,126 | 5.4 | |||
Turnout | 56,527 | 69.3 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1980s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alistair Darling | 16,502 | 40.2 | ||
Conservative | Alex Fletcher | 14,240 | 34.7 | ||
Liberal | A. Myles | 7,333 | 17.9 | ||
SNP | B. Shaw | 2,559 | 6.2 | ||
Scottish Green | L.M. Hendry | 438 | 1.1 | ||
Majority | 2,262 | 5.5 | |||
Turnout | 59,529 | 69.0 | |||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alex Fletcher | 14,095 | 38.04 | ||
Labour | R Kelley | 11,529 | 31.12 | ||
Social Democratic | M Macleod | 9,498 | 25.63 | ||
SNP | R Halliday | 1,810 | 4.89 | ||
Communist | D Carson | 119 | 0.32 | ||
Majority | 2,566 | 6.93 | |||
Turnout | 64.93 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Although the Edinburgh Central seat had been won by the Labour Party in 1979, had that election been fought on the new boundaries it was estimated that the Conservatives would have won the seat by a majority of 1,971.[4]
Elections in the 1970s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Robin Cook | 12,191 | 47.85 | ||
Conservative | David McLetchie | 7,530 | 29.55 | ||
Liberal | S Donaldson | 3,096 | 12.15 | ||
SNP | G Kennedy | 2,486 | 9.76 | ||
SLP | CD Boyd | 176 | 0.69 | ||
Majority | 4,661 | 18.29 | |||
Turnout | 67.51 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Robin Cook | 11,129 | 40.27 | ||
Conservative | P Jones | 7,176 | 25.97 | ||
SNP | AWS Rae | 6,866 | 24.85 | ||
Liberal | C Scott | 2,463 | 8.91 | ||
Majority | 3,953 | 14.30 | |||
Turnout | 67.47 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Robin Cook | 11,354 | 37.85 | ||
Conservative | P Jones | 10,393 | 34.64 | ||
Liberal | C Scott | 4,180 | 13.93 | ||
SNP | AWS Rae | 4,074 | 13.58 | ||
Majority | 961 | 3.20 | |||
Turnout | 73.57 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Thomas Oswald | 9,561 | 46.16 | ||
Conservative | Malcolm Leslie Rifkind | 8,000 | 38.62 | ||
SNP | Rena Moore | 1,666 | 8.04 | ||
Liberal | Dr. Anthony Oliver | 1,486 | 7.17 | ||
Majority | 1,561 | 7.54 | |||
Turnout | 20,713 | 66.00 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1960s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Thomas Oswald | 13,682 | 58.60 | ||
Conservative | Nicholas Hardwick Fairbairn | 9,667 | 41.40 | ||
Majority | 4,015 | 17.20 | |||
Turnout | 26,256 | 68.86 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Thomas Oswald | 14,124 | 53.90 | ||
Unionist | Nicholas Hardwick Fairbairn | 12,082 | 46.10 | ||
Majority | 2,042 | 7.79 | |||
Turnout | 71.62 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1950s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Thomas Oswald | 15,849 | 50.99 | ||
Unionist | NR Wylie | 15,232 | 49.01 | ||
Majority | 617 | 1.99 | |||
Turnout | 72.65 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Thomas Oswald | 16,735 | 51.44 | ||
Unionist | Ralph Harris | 15,796 | 48.56 | ||
Majority | 939 | 2.89 | |||
Turnout | 68.85 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Thomas Oswald | 18,429 | 52.24 | ||
Unionist | WJM Kean | 16,847 | 47.76 | ||
Majority | 1,582 | 4.48 | |||
Turnout | 76.70 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Andrew Gilzean | 16,568 | 47.92 | ||
Unionist | Francis Clifford Watt | 13,631 | 39.43 | ||
Liberal | Leonard Gellatly | 3,446 | 9.97 | ||
Communist | Donald Fraser Renton | 646 | 1.87 | ||
National Independent | Hume Sleigh | 283 | 0.82 | ||
Majority | 2,937 | 8.49 | |||
Turnout | 74.33 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1940s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Andrew Gilzean | 10,921 | 54.3 | +12.9 | |
Unionist | Francis Clifford Watt | 6,701 | 33.3 | −20.7 | |
Liberal | Norman A Donald | 2,262 | 11.2 | +6.6 | |
National Independent | Hume Sleigh | 232 | 1.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 4,220 | 21.0 | |||
Turnout | 59.7 | ||||
Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | 16.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Francis Clifford Watt | 4,771 | 71.0 | ||
Ind. Labour Party | T. Taylor | 1,950 | 29.0 | ||
Majority | 2,821 | 42.0 | |||
Turnout | 20.0 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1930s
General Election 1939/40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
- Conservative: James Campbell Morrison Guy
- Labour: Andrew Gilzean
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | James Campbell Morrison Guy | 12,612 | 54.0 | ||
Labour | Andrew Gilzean | 9,659 | 41.3 | ||
Liberal | Dr Richard Archibald Barlow | 1,086 | 4.7 | ||
Majority | 2,953 | 12.6 | |||
Turnout | 23,357 | 64.5 | |||
Unionist hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | James Campbell Morrison Guy | 17,293 | 59.3 | ||
Labour | Rt Hon. William Graham | 10,566 | 36.2 | ||
Communist | Fred Douglas | 1,319 | 4.5 | ||
Majority | 6,727 | 23.1 | |||
Turnout | 29,178 | 74.2 | |||
Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1920s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Rt Hon. William Graham | 16,762 | 59.0 | -1.5 | |
Liberal | Harold Alexander | 6,745 | 23.8 | n/a | |
Unionist | John Hamilton Mackie | 4,889 | 17.2 | -22.3 | |
Majority | 10,017 | 35.2 | +14.2 | ||
Turnout | 69.3 | +0.5 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | n/a | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Rt Hon. William Graham | 13,628 | 60.5 | -7.4 | |
Unionist | A. Beaton | 8,897 | 39.5 | n/a | |
Majority | 4,731 | 21.0 | -14.8 | ||
Turnout | 68.8 | +9.1 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | n/a | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Graham | 13,186 | 67.9 | +10.0 | |
Liberal | Thomas Lamb | 6,225 | 32.1 | -10.0 | |
Majority | 6,961 | 35.8 | +20.0 | ||
Turnout | 59.7 | -12.1 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | +10.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Graham | 12,876 | 57.9 | +6.6 | |
National Liberal | Sir George McCrae | 9,371 | 42.1 | -6.6 | |
Majority | 3,505 | 15.8 | +13.2 | ||
Turnout | 71.8 | +26.6 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | +6.6 | |||
Elections in the 1910s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Graham | 7,161 | 51.3 | n/a | |
Liberal | 6,797 | 48.7 | |||
Majority | 364 | 2.6 | |||
Turnout | 45.2 | ||||
Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | ||||
- endorsed by Coalition Government
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Charles Edward Price | 3,771 | |||
Conservative | G.R.Y. Radcliffe | 1,947 | |||
Majority | |||||
Turnout | |||||
Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Charles Edward Price | 3,985 | |||
Liberal Unionist | David A. Scott | 1,947 | |||
Majority | |||||
Turnout | |||||
Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1900s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Charles Edward Price | 3,935 | 67.9 | ||
Liberal Unionist | J.D.G. Walker | 1,857 | 32.1 | ||
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 83.6 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | George Mackenzie Brown | 3,028 | 55.2 | n/a | |
Liberal Unionist | Dr. Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle | 2,459 | 44.8 | n/a | |
Majority | 569 | 10.4 | n/a | ||
Turnout | 71.9 | n/a | |||
Liberal hold | Swing | n/a | |||
Elections in the 1890s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William McEwan | unopposed | n/a | n/a | |
Liberal hold | Swing | n/a | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William McEwan | 3,733 | 63.0 | ||
Liberal Unionist | Arthur K Connell | 1,758 | 29.7 | ||
Scottish Trades Councils | John Wilson | 434 | 7.3 | ||
Majority | 1,975 | 33.3 | |||
Turnout | 76.7 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1880s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William McEwan | 3,760 | 62.7 | ||
Liberal Unionist | John Wilson | 2,236 | 37.3 | ||
Majority | 1,524 | 25.4 | |||
Turnout | 72.5 | ||||
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent Liberal | John Wilson | 2,930 | 41.9 | n/a | |
Liberal | James Hall Renton | 1,684 | 24.1 | n/a | |
Conservative | Hon. John Scott Napier | 1,606 | 23.0 | n/a | |
Independent Liberal | Adam William Black | 770 | 11.0 | n/a | |
Majority | 1,247 | 17.8 | n/a | ||
Turnout | 84.5 | n/a | |||
Independent Liberal win | |||||
Notes and references
- ↑ Fifth Periodical Review, Boundary Commission for Scotland
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)
- ↑ Vote 2001: Edinburgh Central, BBC News
- ↑ The Times Guide to the House of Commons June 1983. London: Times Newspapers Ltd. 1983. p. 279. ISBN 0 7230 0255 X.
- ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1944
- ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
- ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
- 1 2 3 Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ↑ Oliver and Boyd's Edinburgh Almanack, 1927
- ↑ The Times, 8 December 1923
- 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
- ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
- 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
- ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
- 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1889