Liverpool Edge Hill (UK Parliament constituency)

Liverpool Edge Hill
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
19181983
Number of members One
Replaced by Liverpool Mossley Hill

Liverpool Edge Hill was a borough constituency within the city and metropolitan borough of Liverpool, in the English county of Merseyside, centred on Edge Hill. 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 voting system.

The constituency was created in 1918 and abolished in 1983.

History

There were two by-elections in Liverpool Edge Hill, following the deaths of its incumbent Members of Parliament. At the 1947 by-election, Labour held the seat with a reduced majority, but the 1979 by-election saw a large swing against Labour who lost the seat to the Liberal David Alton — a defeat which foreshadowed Labour's defeat in the 1979 general election.

When the constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election, half of its territory was included in the new Liverpool Mossley Hill constituency, where Alton was re-elected.

Michael Howard, later leader of the Conservative Party, was twice a candidate in the constituency, in the general elections of 1966 and 1970. During that time he started to support Liverpool F.C..

Boundaries

1918-1950: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Edge Hill and Low Hill, and part of Kensington ward.

1950-1955: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Edge Hill, Fairfield, Kensington, and Low Hill.

1955-1974: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Fairfield, Kensington, Picton, and Smithdown.

1974-1983: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Fairfield, Kensington, Low Hill, Picton, and Smithdown.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1918 William Watson Rutherford Conservative
1923 by-election John Henry Hayes Labour
1931 Sir Hugo Rutherford, Bt Conservative
1935 Alexander Critchley Conservative
1945 Richard Clitherow Labour
1947 by-election Arthur Irvine Labour
1979 by-election David Alton Liberal
1983 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Alton 12,701 52.0 +24.7
Labour Bob Wareing 8,453 34.6 17.3
Conservative N. Ward 3,098 12.7 8.1
National Front H. Hawksley 152 0.6 N/A
Majority 4,248 17.4
Turnout 24,404 69.0 +7.8
Liberal gain from Labour Swing +21.0
Liverpool Edge Hill by-election, 1979
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Alton 12,945 64.1 +36.8
Labour Bob Wareing 4,812 23.8 28.1
Conservative Nicholas Ward 1,906 9.4 11.3
Law and Order Joan Jonker 337 1.7 N/A
Socialist Unity Ann Walker 127 0.6 N/A
Gay Liberal Michael Taylor 40 0.2 N/A
Independent Bill Boaks 32 0.2 N/A
Majority 8,133 40.3
Turnout 20,199
Liberal gain from Labour Swing +30.2
General Election October 1974: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 13,023 51.9 +4.0
Liberal David Alton 6,852 27.3 +0.6
Conservative S.N. Perry 5,208 20.8 4.6
Majority 6,171 24.6
Turnout 25,083 61.2 5.4
Labour hold Swing +1.7
General Election February 1974: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 12,979 47.9 9.8
Liberal David Alton 7,229 26.7 N/A
Conservative S. Perry 8,871 25.4 16.9
Majority 5,557 18.5
Turnout 29,079 66.6 +7.9
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1970: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 14,752 57.7 5.4
Conservative Michael Howard 10,804 42.3 +5.4
Majority 3,948 15.5
Turnout 25,556 58.7 1.8
Labour hold Swing 5.4

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 18,203 63.1 +4.1
Conservative Michael Howard 10,662 36.9 4.1
Majority 7,541 26.1
Turnout 28,865 60.5 5.1
Labour hold Swing +4.1
General Election 1964: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 19,221 59.0 +8.1
Conservative N.S. Jamieson 13,335 41.0 8.1
Majority 5,886 18.1
Turnout 32,556 65.6 5.1
Labour hold Swing +8.1

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 19,725 50.9 0.6
Conservative J. Norton 19,026 49.1 +0.6
Majority 699 1.8
Turnout 38,751 70.7 +2.7
Labour hold Swing 0.6
General Election 1955: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 20,060 51.4 2.5
Conservative H.S.L. Riggs 18,940 48.6 +2.5
Majority 1,120 2.9
Turnout 39,000 68.0 8.4
Labour hold Swing 2.5
General Election 1951: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 22,906 53.9 +3.0
Conservative H. M. Steward 19,569 46.1 +2.2
Majority 3,337 7.9 0.4
Turnout 42,475 76.4 1.9
Labour hold Swing +0.4
General Election 1950: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 21,834 50.9 14.0
Conservative E. Errington 18,830 43.9 +8.8
Liberal John Bowen 2,247 5.2 N/A
Majority 3,004 7.0 2.5
Turnout 42,911 78.3 +12.0
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

By-election 1947: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 10,827 52.1 12.8
Conservative Reginald Bevins 8,874 42.6 +7.5
Liberal Sir Hubert Winthrop Young 910 4.4 N/A
Ind. Labour Party David Gibson 154 0.7 N/A
Independent C. Foster 48 0.2 N/A
Majority 1,953 9.5 20.3
Turnout 20,813 62.7 3.4
Labour hold Swing +10.2
General Election 1945: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Richard Clitherow 13,150 64.9 +15.4
Conservative W. Clothier 7,111 35.1 15.5
Majority 6,039 29.8
Turnout 20,261 66.3 1.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing 15.5

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1935: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander Critchley 13,882 50.6 12.2
Labour John Henry Hayes 13,581 49.5 +12.3
Majority 301 1.1
Turnout 27,463 68.1 6.6
Conservative hold Swing 12.2
General Election 1931: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Hugo Rutherford 19,901 62.8
Labour John Henry Hayes 11,772 37.2
Majority 8,129 25.7
Turnout 31,673 74.7
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1929: Liverpool Edge Hill [1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Henry Hayes 17,650 55.4
Unionist Sir John Hugo Rutherford 11,622 36.5
Liberal Arthur Donald Dennis 2,581 8.1
Majority 6,028 18.9
Turnout
Labour hold Swing
United Kingdom general election, 1923: Liverpool Edge Hill [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Henry Hayes 13,538 56.9
Unionist Hon. Oliver Frederick Stanley 10,249 43.1
Majority 3,289 13.8
Turnout 69.9
Labour hold Swing

See also

References

  1. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  2. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
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