Stepney (UK Parliament constituency)

UK former constituency infobox
Name = Stepney
Type = Borough
Year = 1885, 1950
Abolition = 1918, 1974
members = one

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:
* it was first created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1918 general election
* from the 1950 general election until its abolition for the February 1974 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new constituency of Stepney and Poplar.

Boundaries

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

Elections

Elections in the 1970s

Election box begin
title=General Election 1970: StepneyElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Peter Shore
votes = 18,993
percentage = 74.8
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Harry Greenway
votes = 4,922
percentage = 19.4
change = Election box candidate with party link
candidate = Solly Kaye
party = Communist Party of Great Britain
votes = 1,468
percentage = 5.8
change = Election box majority
votes = 14,071
percentage = 55.4
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 44.9
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Elections in the 1960s

Election box begin
title=General Election 1966: StepneyElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Peter Shore
votes = 23,098
percentage = 76.1
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = B. P. Cooper
votes = 5,049
percentage = 16.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
candidate = Solly Kaye
party = Communist Party of Great Britain
votes = 2,209
percentage = 7.3
change = Election box majority
votes = 18,049
percentage = 59.5
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 50.7
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1964: StepneyElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Peter Shore
votes = 22,184
percentage = 71.4
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = I. F. H. Davison
votes = 6,466
percentage = 20.7
change = Election box candidate with party link
candidate = Solly Kaye
party = Communist Party of Great Britain
votes = 2,454
percentage = 7.9
change = Election box majority
votes = 15,818
percentage = 50.7
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 51.3
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Elections in the 1950s

Election box begin
title=General Election 1959: StepneyElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Walter Edwards
votes = 26,875
percentage = 70.7
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = P. B. Calwell
votes = 8,566
percentage = 22.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
candidate = Solly Kaye
party = Communist Party of Great Britain
votes = 2,548
percentage = 6.7
change = Election box majority
votes = 18,309
percentage = 48.2
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 59.4
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1955: StepneyElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Walter Edwards
votes = 27,677
percentage = 73.0
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = L. F. Sutton
votes = 5,733
percentage = 15.1
change = Election box candidate with party link
candidate = Solly Kaye
party = Communist Party of Great Britain
votes = 2,888
percentage = 7.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
candidate = F. Winckless
party = Liberal Party (UK)
votes = 1,615
percentage = 4.3
change = Election box majority
votes = 21,944
percentage = 57.9
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 57.8
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1951: StepneyElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Walter Edwards
votes = 35,849
percentage = 76.5
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = M. H. B. Solomon
votes = 7,586
percentage = 16.2
change = Election box candidate with party link
candidate = Ted Bramley
party = Communist Party of Great Britain
votes = 3,436
percentage = 7.3
change = Election box majority
votes = 28,263
percentage = 60.3
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 70.9
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1950: StepneyElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Walter Edwards
votes = 33,475
percentage = 70.0
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = M. H. B. Solomon
votes = 6,238
percentage = 13.1
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
candidate = Phil Piratin
party = Communist Party of Great Britain
votes = 5,991
percentage = 12.5
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
candidate = J. H. Maynard
party = Liberal Party (UK)
votes = 2,105
percentage = 4.4
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 27,237
percentage = 57.0
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 72.5
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = "N/A"

References

*Rayment