Coatbridge and Airdrie (UK Parliament constituency)

Coatbridge and Airdrie
Former Burgh constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of Scotland Lanarkshire
Major settlements Coatbridge, Airdrie
1950 (1950)–1983 (1983)
Number of members One
Replaced by Monklands West
Created from Coatbridge

Coatbridge and Airdrie was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) from 1950 until 1983.

It was then replaced by the Monklands West constituency.

Contents

Boundaries

The constituency location is in northern Lanarkshire, to the north of Bothwell and to the east of Glasgow. From 1885 until 1983 Coatbridge and Airdrie were linked for parliamentary purposes. The seat was named Coatbridge and Airdrie after 1950.

In the 1885-1918 period the area formed the county constituency of Coatbridge. In the 1918 redistribution the burgh constituency of Coatbridge was created. The seat was defined in 1918 as comprising the burghs of Airdrie and Coatbridge.

The change in the constituency name in 1950 did not affect the boundaries. Apart from a small boundary change to Airdrie, which took effect for parliamentary purposes in 1955, its boundaries did not alter until the areas parliamentary representation was remodelled in 1983.

From the 1983 general election the area was divided between two new seats. It provided the majority of the electorate for both Monklands East and Monklands West. 34,802 electors in the old seat were included in the new East constituency (57.1% of the old seat and 72.2% of the new one). 26,148 voters found themselves in Monklands West (42.9% of the old seat and 53.4% of the new one).

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1950 Jean Mann Labour
1959 James Dempsey Labour
1982 by-election Tom Clarke Labour
1983 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950: Coatbridge and Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J Mann 23,239 56.53
Unionist J McMillan 16,552 40.27
Anti-Partition TP O'Callaghan 1,315 3.20
Majority 6,687 16.27
Turnout 47,841 85.92
General Election 1951: Coatbridge and Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J Mann 24,159 57.37 +0.84
Unionist J McMillan 17,952 42.63 +2.36
Majority 6,207 14.74 -1.53
General Election 1955: Coatbridge and Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J Mann 22,269 55.85 -1.52
Unionist D Anderson 17,605 44.15 +1.52
Majority 4,664 11.70 -3.04
General Election 1959: Coatbridge and Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dempsey 22,747 50.89 -4.96
Unionist Mrs C S Morton 21,953 49.11 +4.96
Majority 794 1.78 -9.92

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: Coatbridge and Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dempsey 27,178 62.11 +11.22
Unionist A Thomson 16,580 37.89 -11.22
Majority 10,598 24.22 +22.44
General Election 1966: Coatbridge and Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dempsey 26,491 64.19 +2.08
Conservative W C Raeburn 14,777 35.81 -2.08
Majority 11,714 28.39 +4.17

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Coatbridge and Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dempsey 26,117 58.88 -5.31
Conservative W Rennie 15,574 35.11 -0.70
SNP W Brown 2,667 6.01 N/A
Majority 10,543 23.77 -4.62
General Election February 1974: Coatbridge and Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dempsey 24,945 54.15 -4.73
Conservative C Anderson 13,162 28.57 -6.54
SNP R Hill 7,961 17.28 +11.27
Majority 11,783 25.58 +1.81
General Election October 1974: Coatbridge and Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dempsey 23,034 51.61 -2.54
SNP D R M Hill 12,466 27.93 +10.65
Conservative J Love 7,683 17.22 -11.35
Liberal A Smith 1,446 3.24 N/A
Majority 10,568 23.68 -1.90
General Election 1979: Coatbridge and Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Dempsey 27,598 60.9
Conservative J. Love 12,442 27.5
SNP Mrs M. Johnston 3,652 10.5
Majority 15,156 33.4
Turnout 43,692 75.3
Labour hold Swing N/A
Registered electors 60,133

Elections in 1980s

By-Election 24 June 1982: Coatbridge and Airdrie
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Clarke 19,208 55.1 -5.8
Conservative H. de Burgh 9,118 26.2 -1.3
SNP R. Wyllie 3,652 10.5 -
Liberal A. Henderson 2,873 8.2 N/A
Majority 10,090 28.9 -4.5
Turnout 34,951 56.3 -19.0
Labour hold Swing
Registered electors 61,876

References

See also