Dundee East (UK Parliament constituency)

Not to be confused with Dundee East (Scottish Parliament constituency).
Dundee East
Burgh constituency
for the House of Commons

Boundary of Dundee East in Scotland.
Subdivisions of Scotland Angus/City of Dundee
Current constituency
Created 1950 (1950)
Member of Parliament Stewart Hosie (SNP)
Created from Dundee
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency Scotland

Dundee East is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (at Westminster). Created for the 1950 general election, it elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post voting system.

Contents

Boundaries

Following the Representation of the People Act 1948, the seat of Dundee East was described as being formed from:

Between 1955 and 1974, the description of the seat changed to;

Between 1974 and 1983 the electoral wards used in the creation of Dundee East were altered again, to comprise Broughty Ferry, Caird, Craigie, Douglas, Harbour and Hilltown[3]. For the period from 1983 to 1997, this altered to the whole of electoral divisions 11 - 20 of the City of Dundee, whilst the period from 1997 to 2005 this changed to the whole of ward 7, parts of wards 4-6 and 8.

The current constituency is one of two covering the City of Dundee council area, the other being Dundee West. Current boundaries were first used in the 2005 General Election.

Prior to the 2005 election, both constituencies were entirely within the city area, and north-eastern and north-western areas of the city were within the Angus constituency. Scottish Parliament constituencies retain the older boundaries.

The electoral boundaries used from 2005 comprise either the whole or part of the electoral wards of Monifieth and Sidlaw, Carnoustie and District, The Ferry, East End, North East, Maryfield, Strathmartine, and an uninhabited slice of Kirriemuir and Dean ward.

Members of Parliament

Election Member [4] Party
1950 Thomas Cook Labour
1952 by-election George Thomson Labour
1973 by-election George Machin Labour
Feb 1974 Gordon Wilson SNP
1987 John McAllion Labour
2001 Iain Luke Labour
2005 Stewart Hosie SNP

Election results

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2010: Dundee East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Stewart Hosie 15,350 37.8 +0.6
Labour Katrina Murray 13,529 33.3 -2.9
Conservative Chris Bustin 6,177 15.2 +2.4
Liberal Democrat Clive Sneddon 4,285 10.6 -0.8
Scottish Green Shiona Baird 542 1.3 +1.3
UKIP Mike Arthur 431 1.1 +0.4
Scottish Socialist Angela Gorrie 254 0.6 -0.7
Majority 1,821 4.5
Turnout 40,568 62.0 -0.5
SNP hold Swing +1.7

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Dundee East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Stewart Hosie 14,708 37.2 +1.1
Labour Iain Luke 14,325 36.2 −1.2
Conservative Chris Bustin 5,061 12.8 −2.5
Liberal Democrat Clive Sneddon 4,498 11.4 +2.7
Scottish Socialist Harvey Duke 537 1.4 −1.2
UKIP Donald Low 292 0.7 N/A
Independent David Allison 119 0.3 N/A
Majority 383 1.0
Turnout 39,540 62.4 +3.3
SNP gain from Labour Swing +1.1
General Election 2001: Dundee East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Iain Luke 14,635 45.2 −5.9
SNP Stewart Hosie 10,169 31.4 +4.9
Conservative Alan Donnelly 3,900 12.0 −3.7
Liberal Democrat Raymond Lawrie 2,784 8.6 +4.5
Scottish Socialist Harvey Duke 879 2.7 N/A
Majority 4,466 13.8
Turnout 32,367 57.3 −12.0
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Dundee East[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John McAllion 20,718 51.1 +7.0
SNP Shona Robison 10,757 26.5 -6.9
Conservative Bruce Mackie 6,397 15.8 -2.0
Liberal Democrat G. Saluja 1,677 4.1 0.0
Referendum Party E. Galloway 601 1.5 N/A
Scottish Socialist Harvey Duke 232 0.6 N/A
Natural Law S. Mackenzie 146 0.4 +0.2
Majority 9,961
Turnout 69.4 -2.7
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1992: Dundee East[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John McAllion 18,761 44.1
SNP David Coutts 14,197 33.4
Conservative Steve Blackwood 7,549 17.8
Liberal Democrat Ian Yuill 1,725 4.1
Scottish Green B. Baird 205 0.5
Natural Law R. Baxter 77 0.2
Majority 4,564
Turnout 72.1
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1983: Dundee East[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Gordon Wilson 20,276 43.8% N/A
Labour C. Bowman 15,260 33.0% N/A
Conservative Mrs B. Vaughan 7,712 15.5% N/A
Liberal S. Rottger 3,546 7.7% N/A
Majority 2,519 5%
SNP hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Dundee East[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Gordon Wilson 20,497 41.7% -6.7%
Labour James Reid 17,978 36% +3.3%
Conservative Brian Townsend 9,072 18.2% +1.4%
Liberal C. Brodie 2,317 4.6% +1.8%
WRP R. Battersby 95 0.2% +0.2%
Majority 2,519 5%
SNP hold Swing
General Election Oct 1974: Dundee East [7][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Gordon Wilson 22,120 47.7%
Labour George Machin 15,137 32.7%
Conservative W.L. Walker 7,784 16.8%
Liberal C. Brodie 1,302 2.8%
Majority 6,983 15%
SNP hold Swing
General Election Feb 1974: Dundee East[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Gordon Wilson 20,066
Labour George Machin 17,100
Conservative James Clyde 13,371
Christian Democratic Socialist James Gourlay 220
Majority 2,966
SNP gain from Labour Swing
Dundee East by-election, 1973
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Machin 14,411
SNP Gordon Wilson 13,270
Conservative William Fitzgerald 11,089
Liberal Nathaniel Gordon 3,653
Labour Party of Scotland George MacLean 1,409
Independent John S Thomson 182
Majority 1,141
Turnout
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1970: Dundee East[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George M. Thomson 22,630
Conservative Allan Stewart 19,449
SNP Ian Macaulay 4,181
World Government Radical E. G. Macfarlane 176
Majority 2,798
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Dundee East [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Thomson 26,263
Unionist R.A. McCrindle 22,082
Majority 4,181
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1955: Dundee East [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Thomson 25,646
Unionist R. R. Taylor 21,606
Majority 4,040
Labour hold Swing

Politics and history of the constituency

The Dundee East constituency has been a marginal seat between the SNP and Labour since the 1973 byelection. Although Labour won the seat in that by-election, the SNP established itself as the clear challenger and continued to advance, winning the seat in the next general election. Labour were thought to have underperformed in not winning the seat back in the 1979 general election, and the choice of the former Communist Jimmy Reid as Labour candidate was blamed for the loss.

Boundary changes which came into force in 2005 brought in many voters from more suburban areas formerly in the Angus constituency. Although estimates of the 2001 general election result on the new boundaries showed Labour ahead, the lead was exceptionally narrow, and after the SNP won the Scottish Parliament seat on the original boundaries in 2003, a close fight was expected (and occurred) in the 2005 general election.

References

  1. ^ [1] Boundary Commission for Scotland
  2. ^ [2] Boundary Commission for Scotland
  3. ^ [3] Boundary Commission for Scotland
  4. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 4)
  5. ^ a b "Aristotle: Dundee East", Guardian Unlimited
  6. ^ The Times Guide to the House of Commons June 1983. London: Times Books Limited. 1983. p. 99. ISBN 072300255X. 
  7. ^ a b The Times Guide to the House of Commons May 1979. London: Times Books Limited. 1979. p. 98. ISBN 0723002258. 
  8. ^ Whitaker's Almanack 1977
  9. ^ Hazel, John W. (1977). John W Hazel's Book of Records. Dundee: D. Winter & Son Ltd. p. 51. 
  10. ^ Hazel, John W. (1977). John W Hazel's Book of Records. Dundee: D. Winter & Son Ltd. p. 51. 
  11. ^ Whitaker's Almanack 1963
  12. ^ Hazel, John W. (1977). John W Hazel's Book of Records. Dundee: D. Winter & Son Ltd. p. 50. 
Constituencies in Scotland by Holding Party (59)
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