Leith (UK Parliament constituency)

Leith
Former Burgh constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of Scotland City of Edinburgh (from 1920)
Major settlements Leith
1918 (1918)–1950 (1950)
Number of members One

Leith was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1950. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

There was also an earlier Leith Burghs constituency, 1832 to 1918, and a later Edinburgh Leith constituency, 1950 to 1997.

Contents

Boundaries

The Leith constituency was created under the Representation of the People Act 1918, and first used in the 1918 general election, to cover the burgh of Leith, in the county of Midlothian.[1] The burgh was previously within the Leith Burghs constituency.

1918 boundaries were used also in the general elections of 1922, 1923, 1924, 1929, 1931, 1935 and 1945.

The burgh was merged into the city of Edinburgh in 1920, and for the 1950 general election, under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949, the Edinburgh Leith constituency was created as one of seven constituencies covering the city and the Midlothian burgh of Musselburgh.[1]

Members of Parliament

Election Member[2] Party
1918 William Wedgwood Benn Liberal
1927 by-election Ernest Brown Liberal
1931 National Liberal
1945 James Hutchison Hoy, subsequently MP for Edinburgh Leith Labour

Election results

General Election 1935: Leith [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal National Rt Hon Ernest Brown MC 18,888
Labour D.C. Thomson 13,818
General Election 1931: Leith[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal National Ernest Brown MC 24,847
Labour Arthur Woodburn 13,400
By-election March 1927: Leith [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ernest Brown 12,461
Labour R.F. Wilson 12,350
Conservative Allan Beaton 4,607
General Election 1924: Leith [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Capt Wedgwood Benn 16,569
Labour R.F. Wilson 11,250
General Election 1923: Leith [7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Capt Wedgwood Benn 15,004
Labour R.F. Wilson 8,267
General Election 1918: Leith [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Capt Wedgwood Benn DSO 10,338
Coalition Conservative George Welsh Currie 7,613
Labour S. Burgess 4,251

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b As per Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972 (ISBN 0-900178-09-4), F. W. S. Craig, 1972
  2. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 2)
  3. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
  4. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
  5. ^ The Times, 25 March 1927
  6. ^ Oliver & Boyd's Edinburgh Almanack, 1924
  7. ^ The Times, 8 December 1923
  8. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1920