Edinburgh_West_(UK_Parliament_constituency)

Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency)

Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency)

British parliamentary constituency in Scotland


Edinburgh West is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, first contested at the 1885 general election.[n 1]

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Prior to the 2005 general election, the boundaries were the same as the eponymous constituency of the Scottish Parliament, which had been created in 1999.

This commuter belt seat, distinctively in the city, was Unionist/Conservative for over 65 years, from the 1931 general election until the 1997 general election, although the Liberal/SDP Alliance and later the Liberal Democrats repeatedly came close to winning in the 1980s and early 1990s. After 1997, the seat was held by the Liberal Democrats until the 2015 general election. The Member of Parliament (MP) between the 2015 and 2017 general elections was Michelle Thomson, who was elected for the Scottish National Party (SNP) in May 2015. In September 2015, she resigned the party whip and sat as an Independent. Thomson chose not to seek reelection either for the SNP or as an Independent candidate.[1] At the 2017 general election, Christine Jardine of the Liberal Democrats gained the seat with a majority of 2,988 votes.

The seat has been relative to others a marginal seat since 2005, as the winner's majority has not exceeded 8.2% of the vote since the 30% majority won in that year. The seat has changed hands twice electorally since that year and once through resigning the party whip.

Constituency profile

This is an affluent, left-leaning and pro-European seat[2] covering the northwestern portion of Edinburgh. It is mostly suburban, but takes in rural areas within the council area including Kirkliston and South Queensferry. Edinburgh Airport and Murrayfield Stadium are within the seat.

Boundaries

Map of present boundaries

1885–1918: The St. Andrew, St. Stephen, St. Bernard and St. Luke wards of the municipal burgh of Edinburgh.[3]

1918–1950: The Dalry, Gorgie, Haymarket and St. Bernard's wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.[4]

1950–1955: The Corstorphine, Murrayfield-Cramond, St. Bernard's and Pilton wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.[5]

1955–1974: The Corstorphine (with the exception of the area added by the Edinburgh Corporation Order Confirmation Act 1954), Murrayfield-Cramond, and Pilton wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh, and part of the St. Bernard's ward.[6]

1974–1983: The Corstorphine and Murrayfield-Cramond wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh, and that part of Pilton ward which is not included in the Edinburgh Leith constituency.[7]

1983–1997: Electoral divisions 11 (Cramond/Parkgrove), 15 (Corstorphine North), 16 (Telford/Blackhall), 19 (Corstorphine South) and 26 (Moat/Stenhouse) in the City of Edinburgh.[8]

1997–2005: Electoral divisions 11 (Queensferry/Kirkliston), 12 (Cramond/Blackhall), 13 (Drylaw/Muirhouse), 16 (Corstorphine North), and 21 (Corstorphine South) in the City of Edinburgh.[9]

The seat was created when the Edinburgh constituency was abolished, in 1885, replaced by four seats: 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.

Before the 2005 general election, the seat was one of six 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 seats covering the city area.[10]

From 1997 to 2007 the seat comprised the following wards: Cramond, Dalmeny and Kirkliston, Davidson's Mains, East Craigs, Gyle, Muirhouse and Drylaw, Murrayfield, North East Corstorphine, Queensferry, South East Corstorphine and Stenhouse.

As of 2007, as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, none of the new Edinburgh wards were wholly within the constituency. Almond and Corstorphine/Murrayfield are almost entirely within it except for a small corner of each one. The constituency also includes a majority of Drum Brae/Gyle, a minority of Pentland Hills and small sections of Forth, Inverleith, City Centre and Sighthill/Gorgie.

Members of Parliament

Election results

Elections in the 2020s

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Elections in the 2010s

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Elections in the 2000s

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Elections in the 1990s

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Elections in the 1980s

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Elections in the 1970s

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Elections in the 1960s

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Elections in the 1950s

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Elections in the 1940s

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Elections in the 1930s

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Elections in the 1920s

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Phillipps
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Vivian Phillipps
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Elections in the 1910s

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Elections in the 1900s

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Courtney
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Elections in the 1890s

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Elections in the 1880s

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  • Caused by Buchanan's resignation to seek re-election as a Liberal candidate.
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See also

Notes

  1. As with all extant examples of constituencies nationwide (since 1955) it elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

References

  1. "Nicola Sturgeon learned of SNP MP allegations from Sunday newspaper". BBC News. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  2. "Chap. 23. Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885". The Public General Acts of the United Kingdom passed in the forty-eighth and forty-ninth years of the reign of Queen Victoria. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1885. pp. 111–198.
  3. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) (Edinburgh North and Edinburgh West) Order 1955. SI 1955/28". Statutory Instruments 1955. Part II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1956. pp. 2194–2195.
  4. "UK Parliamentary General Election - 12 December 2019". The City of Edinburgh Council. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  5. "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  6. "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
  7. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  8. Council, The City of Edinburgh. "The City of Edinburgh Council download - UK Parliamentary election results 2015 - Council and democracy - Elections and voting - Election results". www.edinburgh.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  9. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  10. "Lib Dems' Barrett to quit as MP". BBC News. 25 July 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  11. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  12. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  13. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  16. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  17. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1950.
  19. Whitaker's Almanack, 1944
  20. Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
  21. The Times House of Commons, 1935
  22. Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
  23. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  24. Oliver and Boyd's Edinburgh Almanack, 1927
  25. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  26. Whitaker's Almanack, 1920
  27. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
  28. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  29. Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
  30. Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
  31. Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1889

55°57′09″N 3°19′58″W


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