Glasgow East (UK Parliament constituency)

UK constituency infobox alt
Name = Glasgow East


Type = Burgh
Entity = Scotland
DivisionType = Council areas
Division = City of Glasgow
Year = 2005
MP = John Mason
Party = Scottish National Party
EP = Scotland

Glasgow East is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster). It was created for the 2005 general election.

Boundaries

Glasgow East is one of seven constituencies covering the Glasgow City council area. All are entirely within the council area.

Prior to the 2005 general election, the city area was covered by ten constituencies, of which two straddled boundaries with other council areas. The East constituency includes the area of the former Glasgow Baillieston constituency and parts of the former Glasgow Shettleston constituency. [cite web|url=http://www.bcomm-scotland.gov.uk/|title="Fifth Periodical Report", Boundary Commission for Scotland] Scottish Parliament constituencies retain the names and boundaries of the older Westminster constituencies.

Baillieston was always won by the Labour Party, as was its predecessor Glasgow Provan from its creation in 1955. Shettleston was won by the Labour Party at every election from 1950 onwards (in 1945 it was won by the Independent Labour Party). In 2008, the Scottish National Party succeeded in winning the seat from Labour in a by-election on a very large swing. Prior to the by-election, it had been one of the safest Labour seats in the United Kingdom.

The East constituency contains part of the M8 motorway and main railway lines into the city centre; the home ground of Glasgow Celtic football club is within the constituency. It is one of the most deprived areas in the UK: average male life expectancy is 68, five years less than the Scottish average, while in the Shettleston area it is 63. [citeweb|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/scotland/2236353/Glasgow-as-bad-as-the-Gaza-Strip,-says-SNP-leader.html|title=Glasgow as bad as the Gaza Strip, says SNP leader|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=2008-07-11]

Members of Parliament

*"Constituency created (2005)"

2008 by-election

On 28 June 2008, David Marshall MP announced he would step down because of a stress-related illness and was appointed Steward of the Manor of Northstead on 30 June 2008, thus effectively resigning from the Commons. [cite web|url=http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2008/press_67_08.cfm|title=Manor of Northstead|accessdate=2008-06-30|author=|last=|first=|year=2008|format=|work=|publisher=hm-treasury.gov.uk] Although the seat represented Labour's third highest majority in Scotland, they faced a strong challenge from the SNP, hot on the heels of Labour's disastrous performance in the 2008 Henley by-election. [cite web|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/06/28/gordon-brown-faces-by-election-test-as-veteran-scots-mp-david-marshal-quits-over-illness-86908-20624177/|title=Gordon Brown faces by-election test as veteran Scots MP David Marshal quits over illness|work=The Daily Record|date=2008-06-28|accessdate=2008-06-28] Nominations for candidates closed at 4pm on 9 July, and the election took place on 24 July. [cite web|url=http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/YourCouncil/Elections_Voting/GlasgowEast_ByElection_2008/|title=Notice of By-election for the UK Parliament|accessdate=2008-07-12]

At around 0230 hours on 25 July 2008, and after a recount, the SNP candidate John Mason won the seat by a plurality of 365 votes over the Labour Party candidate Margaret Curran. [BBC Scotland election coverage, Friday 25th July 2008]

Elections

Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = John Mason
votes = 11,277
percentage = 43.1
change = +26.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Labour Party
candidate = Margaret Curran
votes = 10,912
percentage = 41.7
change = -19.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Conservative Party
candidate = Davena Rankin
votes = 1,639
percentage = 6.3
change = -0.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Liberal Democrats
candidate = Ian Robertson
votes = 915
percentage = 3.5
change = -8.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Frances Curran
votes = 555
percentage = 2.1
change = -1.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Solidarity (Scotland)
candidate = Tricia McLeish
votes = 512
percentage = 2.0
change = N/AElection box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Green Party
candidate = Eileen Duke
votes = 232
percentage = 0.9
change = N/AElection box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Chris Creighton
votes = 67
percentage = 0.3
change = N/AElection box candidate
party = Freedom-4-Choice
candidate = Hamish Howitt
votes = 65
percentage = 0.2
change = N/AElection box majority
votes = 365
percentage = 1.4
change = +45.1Election box turnout
votes = 26,219
percentage = 42.25
change = -5.95Election box gain with party link
winner = Scottish National Party
loser = Scottish Labour Party
swing = 22.54

Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Labour Party
candidate = David Marshall
votes = 18,775
percentage = 60.7
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Lachlan McNeill
votes = 5,268
percentage = 17.0
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Liberal Democrats
candidate = David Jackson
votes = 3,665
percentage = 11.8
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
candidate = Carl Thomson
votes = 2,135
percentage = 6.9
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = George Savage
votes = 1,096
percentage = 3.5
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 13,507
percentage = 43.7
change =Election box turnout
votes = 30,939
percentage = 48.2
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Scottish Labour Party
swing = "N/A"

Predecessor seats

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: Glasgow BailliestonElection box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Labour Party
candidate = Jimmy Wray
votes = 14,200
percentage = 61.0
change = -4.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Lachlan McNeill
votes = 4,361
percentage = 18.7
change = -0.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
candidate = David Comrie
votes = 1,580
percentage = 6.8
change = -1.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Jim McVicar
votes = 1,569
percentage = 6.7
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Liberal Democrats
candidate = Charles Dundas
votes = 1,551
percentage = 6.7
change = +2.8Election box majority
votes = 9,839
percentage = 42.3
change =Election box turnout
votes = 23,261
percentage = 47.2
change = -15.0Election box hold with party link
winner = Scottish Labour Party
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Labour Party
candidate = David Marshall
votes = 13,235
percentage = 64.7
change = -8.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Jim Byrne
votes = 3,417
percentage = 16.7
change = +2.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Rosie Kane
votes = 1,396
percentage = 6.8
change = +5.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Liberal Democrats
candidate = Lewis Hutton
votes = 1,105
percentage = 5.4
change = +1.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Conservative Party
candidate = Campbell Murdoch
votes = 1,082
percentage = 5.3
change = -0.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Socialist Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Murdo Ritchie
votes = 230
percentage = 1.1
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 9,818
percentage = 48.0
change = -3.3Election box turnout
votes = 20,465
percentage = 39.7
change = -16.0Election box hold with party link
winner = Scottish Labour Party
swing =

See also

*Politics of Glasgow

Notes and references

External links

* [http://gswing.sourceforge.net/scotland Scottish Election Results 1997 - present]