Edinburgh South West (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox alt
Name = Edinburgh South West


Type = Burgh
Entity = Scotland
DivisionType = Council areas
Division = City of Edinburgh
Year = 2005
MP = Alistair Darling
Party = Labour
EP = Scotland

Edinburgh South West is a Scottish constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster), first used in the 2005 general election. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Boundaries

Edinburgh South West is one of five constituencies covering the City of Edinburgh council area. All are entirely within the city council area.

Prior to the 2005 general election, the city area had been covered by six constituencies and, of the six, there was one, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, which staddled the boundary with the East Lothian council area, to include Musselburgh.

Edinburgh South West is mostly a relacement for the former Edinburgh Pentlands constituency, but excludes some of the east of that constituency. Also, it includes a south western portion of the former Edinburgh Central constituency. [ [http://www.bcomm-scotland.gov.uk/ "Fifth Periodical Review", Boundary Commission for Scotland] ] Scottish Parliament constituencies retain the boundaries of the older Westminster constituencies.

Edinburgh South West covers a south western portion of the city area. It has an urban north east and a suburban centre. The remainder is rural, and runs into the Pentland Hills in the south. In terms of wards used in elections to the City of Edinburgh Council, 1999 to 2007, the constituency includes the wards of Balerno, Baberton, Colinton, Craiglockhart, Dalry, Firrhill, Fountainbridge, Moat, Murrayburn, Parkhead, Shandon and Sighthill. As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, these wards are due to be replaced with new wards in 2007.

Member of Parliament

This seat was formed from Edinburgh Central and Edinburgh Pentlands.

Edinburgh Central

*to 1987 Sir Alex Fletcher (Conservative)
*from 1987 - 2005 Alistair Darling (Labour)

Edinburgh Pentlands

*1974 - 1997 Malcolm Rifkind (Conservative)
*1997 - 2005 Lynda Clark (Labour)

Edinburgh South West

*2005 - "present" Alistair Darling Labour

Election results

Election box begin
title=General Election 2005: Edinburgh South WestElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Alistair Darling
votes = 17,476
percentage = 39.8%
change = -4.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Gordon Buchan
votes = 10,234
percentage = 23.3%
change = -3.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Simon Clark
votes = 9,252
percentage = 21.1%
change = +9.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Nick Elliott-Cannon
votes = 4,654
percentage = 10.6%
change = -2.8Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Green Party
candidate = John Blair-Fish
votes = 1,520
percentage = 3.5%
change = +3.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Pat Smith
votes = 585
percentage = 1.3%
change = -1.0Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = William Boys
votes = 205
percentage = 0.5%
change = +0.3Election box majority
votes = 7,242
percentage = 16.5%
change = Election box turnout
votes = 43,926
percentage = 65.4
change = +6.8Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing = -0.7

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: Edinburgh PentlandsElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Lynda Clark
votes = 15,797
percentage = 40.6
change = -2.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Malcolm Rifkind
votes = 14,055
percentage = 36.1
change = +3.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = David Walker
votes = 4,210
percentage = 10.8
change = +0.8Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Stewart Gibb
votes = 4,210
percentage = 10.8
change = -2.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Jimmy Mearns
votes = 555
percentage = 1.4
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = United Kingdom Independence Party
candidate = Bill McMurdo
votes = 105
percentage = 0.3
change = +0.1Election box majority
votes = 1,742
percentage = 4.5
change = Election box turnout
votes = 38,932
percentage = 64.4
change = -12.3Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Notes and references

See also

* Politics of Edinburgh