Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency)

UK former constituency infobox
Name = Kilmarnock
Type = County
Year = 1918
Abolition = 1983
members = one

Kilmarnock was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

The constituency included the area of the former parliamentary burgh of Kilmarnock. The parliamentary burgh had been, previously, a component of the Kilmarnock Burghs constituency.

Boundaries

1918 to 1950

The constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918 as one of four constituencies covering the county of Ayr and the county of Bute. Of the other three constituencies, two were county constituencies: Bute and Northern Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. The third, Ayr Burghs, was a district of burghs constituency. All four constituencies were entirely within the boundaries of the two counties.

The Kilmarnock constituency consisted of "The county district of Kilmarnock, inclusive of all burghs situated therein except insofar as included in the Ayr District of Burghs."

The counties of Ayr and Bute had been covered, previously, by the five constituencies of Ayr Burghs, Buteshire, Kilmarnock Burghs, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. Two of these, Ayr Burghs and Kilmarnock Burghs, had included areas (parliamentary burghs) outside the two counties.

1950 to 1974

Constituency boundaries were redrawn in 1950, creating five constituencies to cover the counties of Ayr and Bute. Ayr Burghs was abolished and two new county constituencies, Ayr and Central Ayrshire, were created. Part of the Kilmarnock constituency was transferred to the new Central Ayrshire constituency.

1974 to 1975

In 1974, the boundary between the Kilmarnock and Ayrshire Central constituencies was redrawn to enlarge Kilmarnock.

1975 to 1983

In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, local government counties were abolished and replaced by a system of regions and districts. The areas of the counties of Ayr and Bute were merged into the Strathclyde region and, thus, the Kilmarnock constituency became one of a number covering the region. Eight years were to elapse before new constituency boundaries took account of new local government boundaries.

In 1983 the Kilmarnock constituency was merged into the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency.

Members of Parliament

Election results

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1920s

Election box begin
title=General Election, May 1929: KilmarnockElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Robert Climie
votes = 17,368
percentage = 48.2
change = +0.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Unionist Party (Scotland)
candidate = Charles Glen MacAndrew
votes = 10,939
percentage = 30.4
change = −21.8Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = J. R. Rutherford
votes = 7,700
percentage = 21.4
change = N/AElection box majority
votes = 6,429
percentage = 17.8
change = N/AElection box turnout
votes = 36,007
percentage = 77.8
change = −0.7Election box gain with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
loser = Unionist Party (Scotland)
swing = +11.2

Election box begin
title=Kilmarnock by-election, 27 November 1929Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Craigie Mason Aitchison
votes = 18,465
percentage = 55.6
change = +7.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Unionist Party (Scotland)
candidate = Charles Glen MacAndrew
votes = 13,270
percentage = 40.0
change = +9.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Communist Party of Great Britain
candidate = I. Brown
votes = 1,448
percentage = 4.4
change = N/AElection box majority
votes = 5,195
percentage = 15.6
change = −2.2Election box turnout
votes = 33,183
percentage = 71.7
change = −6.1Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = 12.6

Elections in the 1930s

Election box begin
title=General Election, October 1931: KilmarnockElection box candidate with party link
party = National Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Craigie Aitchison
votes = 21,803
percentage = 59.6
change = N/AElection box candidate with party link
party = Independent Labour Party
candidate = John Pollock
votes = 14,767
percentage = 40.4
change = N/AElection box majority
votes = 7,036
percentage = 19.2
change = +3.6Election box turnout
votes = 36,580
percentage = 79.5
change = +7.8Election box hold with party link
winner = National Labour Party (UK)
swing = N/A

Election box begin
title=Kilmarnock by-election, 2 November 1933Election box candidate with party link
party = National Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Kenneth Lindsay
votes = 12,577
percentage = 34.8
change = −24.8Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = James Barr
votes = 9,924
percentage = 27.4
change = N/AElection box candidate with party link
party = Independent Labour Party
candidate = John Pollock
votes = 7,575
percentage = 20.9
change = −19.5Election box candidate with party link
party = National Party of Scotland
candidate = Sir Alexander McEwen
votes = 6,098
percentage = 16.9
change = N/AElection box majority
votes = 2,653
percentage = 7.4
change = −11.8Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 77.3
change = −2.2Election box hold with party link
winner = National Labour Party (UK)
swing = N/A

Elections in the 1940s

Election box begin
title=General Election, July 1945: KilmarnockElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Clarice Shaw
votes = 23,837
percentage = 59.4
change = +26.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Unionist Party (Scotland)
candidate = G. E. O. Walker
votes = 16,300
percentage = 40.6
change = N/AElection box majority
votes = 7,537
percentage = 18.8
change = Election box turnout
votes = 40,137
percentage = 76.1
change = −2.7Election box gain with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
loser = National Labour Party (UK)
swing = N/A

Election box begin
title=Kilmarnock by-election, 5 December 1946Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Willie Ross
votes = 22,456
percentage = 59.7
change = +0.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Unionist Party (Scotland)
candidate = George E. O. Walker
votes = 12,239
percentage = 32.5
change = −8.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = George Dott
votes = 2,932
percentage = 7.8
change = N/AElection box majority
votes = 10,217
percentage = 27.2
change = +8.4Election box turnout
votes = 37,627
percentage = 68.4
change = −7.7Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = +4.2

Elections in the 1950s

Election box begin
title=General Election, 1959 : Kilmarnock [ Whitaker's Almanack, 1963 ] Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Willie Ross
votes = 25,379
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = R.I. McNaught
votes = 15,087
percentage =
change =

Election box majority
votes = 10,292
percentage =
change =

Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

See also

* Kilmarnock
* Kilmarnock by-election, 1929
* Kilmarnock by-election, 1933
* Kilmarnock by-election, 1946
* Former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies

References

*cite book |last=Craig |first=F. W. S. |authorlink= F. W. S. Craig |title=British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 |origyear=1969 |edition= 3rd edition |year=1983 |publisher= Parliamentary Research Services |location=Chichester |id= ISBN 0-900178-06-X
*Rayment-hc