North_East_Fife_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
North East Fife (UK Parliament constituency)
Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards
North East Fife is a county constituency in Fife, Scotland, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Wendy Chamberlain of the Liberal Democrats since the 2019 general election.
| North East Fife | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of North East Fife in Scotland | |
| Major settlements | St Andrews, Cupar, Leuchars |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1983 |
| Member of Parliament | Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrats) |
| Created from | East Fife |
The seat was created in 1983, and was held by the Conservative Party for four years, before being represented by Menzies Campbell from 1987 to 2015. Campbell was elected as a member of the Liberal Party, which later merged with the Social Democratic Party to form the Liberal Democrats. At the 2015 general election, the seat was gained by Stephen Gethins of the Scottish National Party (SNP). Gethins held his seat at the 2017 general election by just two votes over Elizabeth Riches of the Liberal Democrats, making the seat the most marginal in the United Kingdom. At the 2019 general election, Chamberlain defeated Gethins to regain the seat for the Liberal Democrats; this was the SNP's only loss at the general election.
1983–2005: North East Fife District.
2005–present: The area of the Fife Council other than those parts in the constituencies of Dunfermline and West Fife, Glenrothes, and Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.
North East Fife constituency is in the region of Fife in Scotland. Fife has the River Tay on its northern coast, and the Firth of Forth to the south. The famous golf and university town of St Andrews is the major settlement in the seat. Others include Cupar, Newport-on-Tay, Newburgh, Auchtermuchty, and Anstruther.
| Election | Member[1] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Barry Henderson | Conservative | |
| 1987 | Menzies Campbell | Liberal | |
| 1988 | Liberal Democrats | ||
| 2015 | Stephen Gethins | SNP | |
| 2019 | Wendy Chamberlain | Liberal Democrats | |
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Wendy Chamberlain | 19,763 | 43.1 | +10.2 | |
| SNP | Stephen Gethins | 18,447 | 40.2 | +7.3 | |
| Conservative | Tony Miklinski | 5,961 | 13.0 | -11.1 | |
| Labour | Wendy Haynes | 1,707 | 3.7 | -5.9 | |
| Majority | 1,316 | 2.9 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 45,878 | 75.3 | +4.0 | ||
| Liberal Democrats gain from SNP | Swing | +1.5 | |||
North East Fife was notable in several respects in the 2019 general election: it was the SNP's only loss of the election,[4] had the largest decrease in vote share for the Conservative Party (after the special case of Chorley, where the party did not stand) and also had the smallest Labour share of the vote in the United Kingdom, at 3.7% (again excluding Chorley, where the party did not stand).[5] The seat went from the most marginal seat at the 2017 general election to the fortieth most marginal in 2019 (measured by percentage majority).[6] When measured by absolute majority, North East Fife was the second most marginal Lib Dem-held seat at the election (after Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross).[7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNP | Stephen Gethins | 13,743 | 32.86 | -8.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Riches | 13,741 | 32.85 | +1.6 | |
| Conservative | Tony Miklinski | 10,088 | 24.1 | +7.8 | |
| Labour | Rosalind Garton | 4,026 | 9.6 | +1.9 | |
| Independent Sovereign Democratic Britain | Mike Scott-Hayward | 224 | 0.5 | New | |
| Majority | 2 | 0.01 | -9.6 | ||
| Turnout | 41,822 | 71.3 | -1.7 | ||
| SNP hold | Swing | -4.8 | |||
North East Fife was the most marginal result in the country at the 2017 general election, with incumbent SNP MP Stephen Gethins seeing his majority cut from 4,344 votes (9.6%) to 2 votes (0.004%) ahead of the Liberal Democrat candidate, Elizabeth Riches. An alike result in Winchester at the 1997 general election was adjudicated and declared void and resulted in a legislative change in party naming rules (the Registration of Political Parties Act 1998).[9]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNP | Stephen Gethins | 18,523 | 40.9 | +26.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Tim Brett | 14,179 | 31.3 | −13.0 | |
| Conservative | Huw Bell | 7,373 | 16.3 | −5.5 | |
| Labour | Brian Thomson | 3,476 | 7.7 | −9.6 | |
| Scottish Green | Andrew Collins | 1,387 | 3.1 | New | |
| Independent | Mike Scott-Hayward | 325 | 0.7 | New | |
| Majority | 4,344 | 9.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 45,263 | 73.0 | +6.4 | ||
| SNP gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +19.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Menzies Campbell | 17,763 | 44.3 | −7.8 | |
| Conservative | Miles Briggs | 8,715 | 21.8 | +2.3 | |
| Labour | Mark Hood | 6,869 | 17.1 | +4.3 | |
| SNP | Roderick Campbell | 5,685 | 14.2 | +3.8 | |
| UKIP | Mike Scott-Hayward | 1,032 | 2.6 | +1.2 | |
| Majority | 9,048 | 22.5 | -10.1 | ||
| Turnout | 40,064 | 63.6 | +1.5 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | −5.0 | |||
Elections in the 2000s
In 2005 the ward of Leven East was incorporated into this constituency from what was Central Fife.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Menzies Campbell | 20,088 | 52.1 | +3.0 | |
| Conservative | Mike Scott-Hayward | 7,517 | 19.5 | -3.4 | |
| Labour | Tony King | 4,920 | 12.8 | -1.6 | |
| SNP | Roderick Campbell | 4,011 | 10.4 | -0.3 | |
| Scottish Green | James Park | 1,071 | 2.8 | New | |
| UKIP | Duncan Pickard | 533 | 1.4 | New | |
| Scottish Socialist | Jack Ferguson | 416 | 1.1 | -0.7 | |
| Majority | 12,571 | 32.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 38,556 | 62.1 | N/A | ||
| Liberal Democrats win (new boundaries) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Menzies Campbell | 17,926 | 51.7 | +0.5 | |
| Conservative | Mike Scott-Hayward | 8,190 | 23.6 | −2.9 | |
| Labour | Claire Brennan | 3,950 | 11.4 | +1.1 | |
| SNP | Kris Murray-Browne | 3,596 | 10.4 | −0.4 | |
| Scottish Socialist | Keith White | 610 | 1.8 | New | |
| Legalise Cannabis | Leslie Von Goetz | 420 | 1.2 | New | |
| Majority | 9,736 | 28.1 | +3.4 | ||
| Turnout | 34,692 | 56.0 | −14.5 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +1.7 | |||
Elections in the 1990s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Menzies Campbell | 21,432 | 51.2 | +4.8 | |
| Conservative | Adam Bruce | 11,076 | 26.5 | −12.0 | |
| SNP | Colin Welsh | 4,545 | 10.8 | +2.2 | |
| Labour | Charles Milne | 4,301 | 10.3 | +4.8 | |
| Referendum | William Stewart | 485 | 1.2 | New | |
| Majority | 10,356 | 24.7 | +16.8 | ||
| Turnout | 41,839 | 70.5 | −7.3 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +8.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Menzies Campbell | 19,430 | 46.4 | +1.6 | |
| Conservative | Mary Scanlon | 16,122 | 38.5 | −2.7 | |
| SNP | David Roche | 3,589 | 8.6 | +2.0 | |
| Labour | Lynda Clark | 2,319 | 5.5 | −1.9 | |
| Scottish Green | Tim Flynn | 294 | 0.7 | New | |
| Liberal | David Senior | 85 | 0.2 | New | |
| Majority | 3,308 | 7.9 | +4.3 | ||
| Turnout | 41,839 | 77.8 | +1.6 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +2.1 | |||
Elections in the 1980s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Menzies Campbell | 17,868 | 44.8 | +4.6 | |
| Conservative | Barry Henderson | 16,421 | 41.2 | −4.9 | |
| Labour | Anthony Michael Edward Gannon | 2,947 | 7.4 | +0.9 | |
| SNP | Francis David Roche | 2,616 | 6.6 | 0.0 | |
| Majority | 1,447 | 3.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 39,852 | 76.2 | +2.5 | ||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Barry Henderson | 17,129 | 46.1 | -2.2 | |
| Liberal | Menzies Campbell | 14,944 | 40.2 | +14.0 | |
| SNP | John Hulbert | 2,442 | 6.6 | −6.6 | |
| Labour | David Caldwell | 2,429 | 6.5 | −5.8 | |
| Ecology | Timothy Flinn | 242 | 0.6 | New | |
| Majority | 2,185 | 5.9 | −14.1 | ||
| Turnout | 37,186 | 73.7 | −5.3 | ||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
- Preceded by East Fife
- "General Election 12 December 2019". Fife Council. Fife Council. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- "Fife North East parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- Uberoi, Cracknell & McGuiness 2020, pp. 71–72.
- "UK parliamentary election statement of persons nominated and notice of poll for the constituencies of Dunfermline and West Fife; Glenrothes; Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath; and North-East Fife" (PDF). Fife Council. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
The following persons have been and now stand nominated for election as a Member to serve in the UK Parliament for the above constituencies:
- "General election 2017: SNP wins Fife North East seat by just two votes". BBC. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- Fife Council, Elections (7 July 2014). "Elections - The Scottish Independence Referendum Results 2014". www.fifedirect.org.uk.
- "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
Works cited
- Uberoi, Elise; Baker, Carl; Cracknell, Richard (19 December 2019). General Election 2019: results and analysis (PDF) (Report). House of Commons Library. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.