Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox alt
Name = Edinburgh West


Type = Burgh
Entity = Scotland
DivisionType = Council areas
Division = City of Edinburgh
Year = 1885
MP = John Barrett
Party = Liberal Democrats
EP = Scotland

Edinburgh West is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster), first used in the 1885 general election. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Prior to the 2005 general election the constituency had the same boundaries as the Scottish Parliament constituency with the same name, which had been created in 1999. See "Edinburgh West (Scottish Parliament constituency)".

Boundaries

The constituency was created when the Edinburgh constituency was abolished, in 1885, in favour of four new constituencies: Edinburgh East, Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh South and Edinburgh West. The Central constituency was abolished in 2005. The East constituency was abolished in 1997, but a new Edinburgh East was created in 2005. The South and West constituencies have been in continuous use (with alterations to boundaries) since 1885.

In 1918 the constituency consisted of the "Dalry, Gorgie, Haymarket and St. Bernard's Municipal Wards of Edinburgh."

Prior to the 2005 general election, Edinburgh West was one of six constituencies covering the City of Edinburgh council area. Five were entirely within the city council area. One, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, straddled the boundary with the East Lothian council area to take in Musselburgh.

Constituency boundaries were revised for the 2005 election. Edinburgh West was enlarged, to include an area formerly within Edinburgh Central, and became one of five constituencies covering the city area. [ [http://www.bcomm-scotland.gov.uk/ "Fifth Periodical Review", Boundary Commission for Scotland] ]

The constituency now covers a north western portion of the city area. It is mostly suburban, but takes in rural areas within the city area, to the west of central Edinburgh. In terms of wards used in elections to the City of Edinburgh Council, 1999 to 2007, the constituency includes the wards of Cramond, Dalmeny and Kirkliston, Davidson's Mains, East Craigs, Gyle, Muirhouse and Drylaw, Murrayfield, North East Corstorphine, Queensferry, South East Corstorphine and Stenhouse. These wards are due to be replaced with new wards in 2007, as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004.

Members of Parliament

Election results

Election box begin
title=General Election 2005: Edinburgh WestElection box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Liberal Democrats
candidate = John Barrett
votes = 22,417
percentage = 49.5%
change = +11.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
candidate = David Brogan
votes = 8,817
percentage = 19.5%
change = -2.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Labour Party
candidate = Navraj Singh Ghaleigh
votes = 8,433
percentage = 18.6%
change = -7.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Sheena Cleland
votes = 4,124
percentage = 9.1%
change = -1.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Green Party
candidate = Ailsa Spindler
votes = 964
percentage = 2.1%
change = +2.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Gary Clark
votes = 510
percentage = 1.1%
change = -1.0Election box majority
votes = 13600
percentage = 30.0%
change = Election box turnout
votes = 45,265
percentage = 68.9
change = +5.4Election box hold with party link
winner = Scottish Liberal Democrats
swing = +6.7

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: Edinburgh WestElection box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Liberal Democrats
candidate = John Barrett
votes = 16,719
percentage = 42.4
change = -0.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Labour Party
candidate = Elspeth Alexandra
votes = 9,130
percentage = 23.1
change = +4.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
candidate = Iain Whyte
votes = 8,894
percentage = 22.5
change = -5.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Alyn Smith
votes = 4,047
percentage = 10.3
change = +1.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Bill Scott
votes = 688
percentage = 1.7
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 7,589
percentage = 19.3
change = Election box turnout
votes = 39,478
percentage = 63.2
change = -14.8Election box hold with party link
winner = Scottish Liberal Democrats
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1992: Edinburgh WestElection box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
candidate = Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
votes = 18,071
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Liberal Democrats
candidate = Donald Gorrie
votes = 17,192
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Labour Party
candidate = Ms I Kitson
votes = 7,759
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Graham Sutherland
votes = 4,117
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK, 1989)
candidate = A. Fleming
votes = 272
percentage =
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Green Party
candidate = Ms L. Hendry
votes = 234
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = British National Party
candidate = D. Bruce
votes = 133
percentage =
change = Election box majority
votes = 879
percentage =
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 82.67
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Lt Com Ian Clark Hutchison RN
votes = unopposed
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Wilfrid Guild Normand KC
votes = 31,407
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = George Mathers
votes = 12,704
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Major John Gordon Jameson
votes = 9,144
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Sir Edward Parrott
votes = 6,166
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = J.A. Young
votes = 2,622
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Sir Lewis McIver Bt
votes = 3,949
percentage = 52.0
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Rt Hon Leonard Courtney
votes = 3,643
percentage = 48.0
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Viscount Wolmer
votes = 3,728
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Thomas Ryburn Buchanan
votes = 3,216
percentage =
change = Election box Registered electors
reg. electors = 8,236

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Thomas Ryburn Buchanan
votes = 3,294
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Unionist Party
candidate = _____ Raleigh
votes = 3,248
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Unionist Party
candidate = Thomas Ryburn Buchanan
votes = 3,083
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Robert Wallace
votes = 2,393
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Unionist Party
candidate = Thomas Ryburn Buchanan
votes = 3,083
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = George Audjo Jamieson
votes = 2,625
percentage =
change =

Politics and history of the constituency

This commuter belt constituency, distinctively in the city, was a safe Unionist/Conservative seat for over 65 years, from 1931 general election until the 1997 general election; since that election the seat has been held by the Liberal Democrats.

References

See also

* Politics of Edinburgh