Edinburgh South (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox alt
Name = Edinburgh South


Type = Burgh
Entity = Scotland
DivisionType = Council areas
Division = City of Edinburgh
Year = 1885
MP = Nigel Griffiths
Party = Labour
EP = Scotland

Edinburgh South is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, first used in the general election of 1885. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Prior to the 2005 general election the constituency had the same boundaries as the Scottish Parliament constituency with the same name. "See Edinburgh South (Scottish Parliament constituency)."

Boundaries

When created in 1885, the Westminster constituency was partly a replacement for the Edinburgh constituency.

In 1918 the constituency consisted of the "Merchiston, Morningside, and Newington Municipal Wards of Edinburgh."

In 2005, prior to the general election, Edinburgh South was one of six covering the City of Edinburgh council area. Five were entirely within the city council area. One, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, straddled the boundary with the East Lothian council area, to take in Musselburgh.

For the 2005 election, the constituency was enlarged to enclude areas from the former Edinburgh Pentlands constituency, and became one of five constituencies covering the city area, all entirely within that area. [ [http://www.bcomm-scotland.gov.uk/ "Fifth Periodical Review", Boundary Commission for Scotland] ]

The constituency covers a southern portion of the city area, and is predominantly suburban. In terms of wards used in elections to the City of Edinburgh Council 1999 to 2007, it includes the wards of Alnwickhill, Fairmilehead, Gilmerton, Kaimes, Marchmont, Merchiston, Moredun, Newington, North Morningside and the Grange, Sciennes, and South Morningside. These wards are due to be replaced with new wards in 2007, as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004.

Next election

Nigel Griffiths is expected to stand again as the Labour candidate in the next general election. The Liberal Democrats have selected former City of Edinburgh councillor Fred Mackintosh as their candidate. The Scottish Conservatives have selected vet Neil Hudson as their candidate. The SNP have selected financial consultant Sandy Howat as their candidate.

The constituency is recognised as a top target seat for the Liberal Democrats against the Labour Party. The Liberal Democrats' candidate was just 405 votes behind the successful Labour candidate, MP Nigel Griffiths, in the last general election.

Charles Clarke included Edinburgh South in his early 2008 "Doomsday Memo" of at-risk Labour constituencies; he predicted that Edinburgh South could be taken by the Liberal Democrats with a swing of under 0.5%. [ [http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/doomsdaymemo.pdf PDF at Times Online] ] A poll conducted by Politics Home carried out in August 2008 polling a statistically significant sample across 13 Scottish Westminster Constituencies of which this is one and applying a uniform swing to the previous result in each of these 13 constituencies based on the swing in the whole sample concluded that this constituency could then have been taken by the Conservatives. [ [http://www.politicshome.com/UltimateEditorInclude/UserFiles/PDFs/MarginalPollResults.pdf PDF summary of poll results] ]

Members of Parliament

Election results

Election box begin
title=General Election 2005: Edinburgh SouthElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Nigel Griffiths
votes = 14,188
percentage = 33.2%
change = -9.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Marilyne MacLaren
votes = 13,783
percentage = 32.3%
change = +4.9Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Gavin Brown
votes = 10,291
percentage = 24.1%
change = +7.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Graham Sutherland
votes = 2,635
percentage = 6.2%
change = -3.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Green Party
candidate = Steve Burgess
votes = 1,387
percentage = 3.2%
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Morag Robertson
votes = 414
percentage = 1.0%
change = -1.5Election box majority
votes = 405
percentage = 0.9%
change = -13.9Election box turnout
votes = 42,693
percentage = 70.0
change = +12.3Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = -6.5

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: Edinburgh SouthElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Nigel Griffiths
votes = 15,671
percentage = 42.2%
change = -4.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Marilyne MacLaren
votes = 10,172
percentage = 27.4%
change = +9.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Gordon Buchan
votes = 6,172
percentage = 16.6%
change = -4.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Heather Williams
votes = 3,683
percentage = 9.9%
change = -3.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Colin Fox
votes = 933
percentage = 2.5%
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Legalise Cannabis Alliance
candidate = Margaret Hendry
votes = 535
percentage = 1.4%
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 5,499
percentage = 14.8%
change = -10.7Election box turnout
votes = 37,166
percentage = 57.7%
change = -14.1Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box begin
title=General Election 1997: Edinburgh SouthElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Nigel Griffiths
votes = 20,993
percentage = 46.8%
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Elizabeth Smith
votes = 9,541
percentage = 21.3%
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Mike Pringle
votes = 7,911
percentage = 17.6%
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = John Hargreaves
votes = 5,791
percentage = 12.9%
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Referendum Party
candidate = Ian McLean
votes = 504
percentage = 1.1%
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Natural Law Party
candidate = Bradley Dunn
votes = 98
percentage = 0.2%
change = Election box majority
votes = 11,452
percentage = 25.5%
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 71.8
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = +8.1

Election box begin
title=General Election 1992: Edinburgh SouthElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Nigel Griffiths
votes = 18,485
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Struan Stevenson
votes = 14,309
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = B. McCreadie
votes = 5,961
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = R. Knox
votes = 5,727
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Natural Law Party
candidate = G. Manclark
votes = 108
percentage =
change =

Election box majority
votes = 4,176
percentage =
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 72.67
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Sir Samuel Chapman
votes = 27,254
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Mrs B. Woodburn
votes = 5,365
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Sir Samuel Chapman
votes = unopposed
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Maj Charles David Murray CMG KC
votes = 14,854
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = D. Caird
votes = 4,955
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Arthur Dewar KC
votes = 8,945
percentage = 59.9
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = William C. Smith KC
votes = 5,985
percentage = 40.1
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Arthur Dewar KC
votes = 5,820
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Maj.-Gen. A. G. Wauchope
votes = 4,989
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Unionist Party
candidate = Robert Cox
votes = 4,902
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Herbert Woodfield Paul
votes = 4,795
percentage =
change = Election box majority
votes = 97
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Herbert Woodfield Paul
votes = 4,682
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Unionist Party
candidate = L. McIver
votes = 4,251
percentage =
change = Election box majority
votes = 431
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Hugh Childers
votes = 3,778
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Unionist Party
candidate = Robert Purvis
votes = 2,191
percentage =
change = Election box majority
votes = 1,587
percentage =
change =

At a by-election on 9 February 1886, Mr Childers having accepted office, he was returned unopposed.

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Hugh Childers
votes = 4,029
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Hon Walter George Hepburne-Scott
votes = 1,730
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Sir George Harrison
votes = 4,273
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Thomas Raleigh
votes = 2,874
percentage =
change = Election box majority
votes = 1,399
percentage =
change =

Notes and references

See also

* Politics of Edinburgh