Stepney (UK Parliament constituency)

Stepney
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Number of members one
1950–1974
Number of members one
Replaced by Stepney and Poplar
Created from Limehouse, Mile End and Whitechapel and St George's

Stepney was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Stepney district of the East End of London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

History

The constituency existed for two separate periods:

Boundaries

Stepney in the Metropolitan area, boundaries 1885-1918
Stepney in the County of London, boundaries 1950-74

The constituency was first created in 1885, as a division of the parliamentary borough of Tower Hamlets, centred on the Stepney neighbourhood in the East End of London. The area was administered as part of the Tower division of the county of Middlesex.

In 1889 there were administrative changes. The territory of the constituency was severed from Middlesex and included in the new County of London. The lower tier of local government in the area continued to be administered by parish vestries and local boards of works.

In 1900 local government in London was rationalised. The Stepney Board of Works was abolished and the civil parish of Stepney became part of a larger Metropolitan Borough of Stepney.

In the redistribution of parliamentary seats in 1918, the Metropolitan Borough was divided between three constituencies - Limehouse, Mile End and Whitechapel and St George's. The previous Stepney constituency was abolished and largely replaced by Whitechapel and St George's.

In the next major redistribution of parliamentary seats, which took effect for the United Kingdom general election, 1950, the Stepney constituency was re-created. The 1950 version of the seat comprised the whole of the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney.

In 1965 Stepney became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Greater London. When parliamentary constituencies were next redistributed, for the February 1974 general election, the area was included in the Stepney and Poplar seat.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1885–1918

ElectionMemberParty
1885 John Charles Durant Liberal
1886 Frederick Wootton Isaacson Conservative
1898 William Charles Steadman Liberal
1900 William Evans-Gordon Conservative
1907 Frederick Leverton Harris Conservative
1910 Dec. William Samuel Glyn-Jones Liberal
1918 constituency abolished

MPs 1950–1974

Constituency re-established 1950

ElectionMemberParty
1950 Walter Edwards Labour
1964 Peter Shore Labour
Feb 1974 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter David Shore 18,993 74.8
Conservative Harry Greenway 4,922 19.4
Communist Solly Kaye 1,468 5.8
Majority 14,071 55.4
Turnout 44.9
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter David Shore 23,098 76.1
Conservative Beryl Phyllis Cooper 5,049 16.6
Communist Solly Kaye 2,209 7.3
Majority 18,049 59.5
Turnout 50.7
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1964: Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter David Shore 22,184 71.4
Conservative I. F. H. Davison 6,466 20.7
Communist Solly Kaye 2,454 7.9
Majority 15,818 50.7
Turnout 51.3
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Walter James Edwards 26,875 70.7
Conservative P. B. Calwell 8,566 22.6
Communist Solly Kaye 2,548 6.7
Majority 18,309 48.2
Turnout 59.4
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1955: Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Walter James Edwards 27,677 73.0
Conservative L. F. Sutton 5,733 15.1
Communist Solly Kaye 2,888 7.6
Liberal Fred Winckless 1,615 4.3
Majority 21,944 57.9
Turnout 57.8
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1951: Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Walter James Edwards 35,849 76.5
Conservative M. H. B. Solomon 7,586 16.2
Communist Edward F. Bramley 3,436 7.3
Majority 28,263 60.3
Turnout 70.9
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1950: Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Walter James Edwards 33,475 70.0 N/A
Conservative M. H. B. Solomon 6,238 13.1 N/A
Communist Philip Piratin 5,991 12.5 N/A
Liberal J. H. Maynard 2,105 4.4 N/A
Majority 27,237 57.0 N/A
Turnout 72.5 N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s

WS Glyn-Jones
General Election December 1910: Tower Hamlets, Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Samuel Glyn-Jones 1,926 51.5
Conservative Walter Reuben Preston 1,812 48.5
Majority 114 3.0
Turnout
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +4.5
General Election January 1910: Tower Hamlets, Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Leverton Harris 2,102 53.0
Liberal William Samuel Glyn-Jones 1,861 47.0
Majority 241 6.0
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing -10.0

Elections in the 1900s

Stepney by-election, 1907
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Leverton Harris 2,299 63.0
Lib-Lab B. Cooper 1,350 37.0
Majority 949 26.0
Turnout 5,621 64.9
Conservative hold Swing +5.7
General Election 1906: Tower Hamlets, Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir William Eden Evans-Gordon 2,490 57.3
Liberal Durham Stokes 1,853 42.7
Majority 637 14.6
Turnout 5,176 83.9
Conservative hold Swing -4.5
General Election 1900: Tower Hamlets, Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Eden Evans-Gordon 2,783 61.8
Lib-Lab William Charles Steadman 1,718 38.2
Majority 1,065 23.6
Turnout 5,878 76.6
Conservative gain from Lib-Lab Swing +12.0

Elections in the 1890s

W.C. Steadman
Stepney by-election, 1898
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Lib-Lab William Charles Steadman 2,492 50.2
Conservative William Eden Evans-Gordon 2,472 49.8
Majority 20 0.4
Turnout 6,387 77.7
Lib-Lab gain from Conservative Swing +5.8
F.W. Isaacson
General Election 1895: Tower Hamlets, Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Wootton Isaacson 2,346 55.6
Liberal W.H. Dickinson 1,876 44.4
Majority 470 11.2
Turnout 6,048 69.8
Conservative hold Swing +4.6
General Election 1892: Tower Hamlets, Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Wootton Isaacson 2,292 51.0
Liberal B.T.L. Thomson 2,203 49.0
Majority 89 2.0
Turnout 6,069 74.1
Conservative hold Swing -5.3

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1886: Tower Hamlets, Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Wootton Isaacson 2,237 56.3
Liberal R.S. Wright 1,735 43.7
Majority 502 12.6
Turnout 6,925 57.4
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +6.6
General Election 1885: Tower Hamlets, Stepney
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Charles Durant 2,141 50.3
Conservative Frederick Wootton Isaacson 2,119 49.7
Majority 22 0.6
Turnout 6,925 61.5

References