Dunfermline and West Fife (UK Parliament constituency)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dunfermline and West Fife County constituency |
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| Dunfermline and West Fife shown within Scotland | |
| Created: | 2005 |
| MP: | Willie Rennie |
| Party: | Liberal Democrat |
| Type: | House of Commons |
| Council areas: | Fife |
| EP constituency: | Scotland |
Dunfermline and West Fife is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2005 general election from all of the old Dunfermline West and parts of the old Dunfermline East constituencies.
The Dunfermline and West Fife by-election was held in early 2006, due to the death of the sitting MP, Rachel Squire. Willie Rennie of the Liberal Democrats was the winner, by some 1,800 votes, obtaining a huge 16.24% swing in what was seen as a safe Labour seat.
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[edit] Boundaries
This new seat is based on the whole of the former Dunfermline West constituency. Rosyth and Inverkeithing in the southeast are the only large population centres on the coast. To the north and west of Dunfermline is more rugged and robust Fife countryside. The whole seat is up against the Firth of Forth.
[edit] Members of Parliament
Rachel Squire (Labour) was the MP for Dunfermline West constituency from 1992 until the major revision of the composition of Scottish parliamentary constituencies for the 2005 general election. Current Prime Minister Gordon Brown was MP for the neighbouring Dunfermline East constituency from which some territory was given to Dunfermline and West Fife.
Squire won the new seat in the 2005 general election and held it until her death on 5 January 2006. The subsequent by-election was held on 9 February 2006, which Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie won in a shock defeat for Labour.
At first sight, William Rennie appeared to be one of the most obvious by election victors who had little chance of retaining their seat at the following general election. The Liberal Democrat gain from Labour of the Dunfermline West Scottish Parliamentary constituency in the 2007 Holyrood Parliament elections will have brought considerable comfort to Rennie.
[edit] Election results
| United Kingdom Parliament: Dunfermline and West Fife by-election 2006 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrat | Willie Rennie | 12,391 | 35.8 | +15.6 | |
| Labour | Catherine Stihler | 10,591 | 30.6 | -16.8 | |
| Scottish National Party | Douglas Chapman | 7,261 | 21.0 | +2.1 | |
| Conservative | Carrie Ruxton | 2,702 | 7.8 | -2.5 | |
| Scottish Socialist | John McAllion | 537 | 1.6 | -0.1 | |
| Scottish Christian | George Hargreaves | 411 | 1.2 | ||
| Abolish Forth Bridge Tolls Party | Tom Minogue | 374 | 1.1 | ||
| UK Independence | Ian Borland | 208 | 0.6 | -0.9 | |
| Common Good | Dick Rodgers | 103 | 0.3 | ||
| Majority | 1,800 | 5.2 | |||
| Turnout | 34,578 | 47.9 | -12.0 | ||
| Liberal Democrat gain from Labour | Swing | 16.5 | |||
| General Election 2005: Dunfermline and Fife West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Rachel Squire | 20,111 | 47.4 | -7.1 | |
| Liberal Democrat | David Herbert | 8,549 | 20.2 | +5.9 | |
| Scottish National Party | Douglas Chapman | 8,026 | 18.9 | +1.1 | |
| Conservative | Roger Smillie | 4,376 | 10.3 | +0.6 | |
| Scottish Socialist | Susan Archibald | 689 | 1.6 | -0.8 | |
| UK Independence | Ian Borland | 643 | 1.5 | +0.1 | |
| Majority | 11,562 | 27.3 | |||
| Turnout | 42,394 | 59.9 | +2.3 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | -6.5 | |||
This constituency was formed in 2005 from all of the old Dunfermline West and parts of the old Dunfermline East constituencies.
The results of these constituencies at the 2001 general election are listed below.
| General Election 2001: Dunfermline West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Rachel Squire | 16,370 | 52.8 | -0.2 | |
| Scottish National Party | Brian Goodall | 5,390 | 17.4 | -1.8 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Russel McPhate | 4,832 | 15.6 | +2.0 | |
| Conservative | James Mackie | 3,166 | 10.2 | -2.4 | |
| Scottish Socialist | Catherine Stewart | 746 | 2.4 | N/A | |
| UK Independence | Alastair Harper | 471 | 1.5 | N/A | |
| Majority | 10,980 | 35.4 | |||
| Turnout | 30,975 | 57.1 | -12.3 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| General Election 2001: Dunfermline East | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Gordon Brown | 19,487 | 64.8 | -2.0 | |
| Scottish National Party | Johnny Mellon | 4,424 | 14.7 | -0.8 | |
| Conservative | Stuart Randall | 2,838 | 9.4 | -0.6 | |
| Liberal Democrat | John Mainland | 2,281 | 7.6 | +1.7 | |
| Scottish Socialist | Andrew Jackson | 770 | 2.6 | N/A | |
| UK Independence | Tom Dunsmore | 286 | 1.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 15,063 | 50.1 | |||
| Turnout | 30,086 | 57.0 | -13.2 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
[edit] Places in Dunfermline and West Fife constituency
[edit] Royal burghs
[edit] Small burghs and large villages
[edit] Electoral wards of Dunfermline and small, outlying villages
- Baldridgeburn
- Bellyeoman
- Blairhall
- Brucefield
- Carnegie
- Carnock
- Crossford
- Crossgates
- Garvock
- Halbeath
- Headwell
- High Valleyfield
- Hill of Beath
- Kingseat
- Linburn
- Low Valleyfield
- Milesmark
- Mossside
- Nethertown
- Oakley
- Pitcorthie
- Pitreavie
- Saline
- Steelend
- Torryburn
- Townhill
- Wellwood
- Woodmill
