Liverpool Edge Hill (UK Parliament constituency)

Liverpool Edge Hill
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Liverpool Edge Hill in Lancashire, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983
1918–1983
SeatsOne
Created fromLiverpool Abercromby
Replaced byLiverpool Mossley Hill and Liverpool Broadgreen[1]

Liverpool Edge Hill was a borough constituency within the city and metropolitan borough of Liverpool, in the English county of Merseyside, centred on Edge Hill. 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 voting system.

The constituency was created in 1918 and abolished in 1983.

History

There were two by-elections in Liverpool Edge Hill, following the deaths of its incumbent Members of Parliament. At the 1947 by-election, Labour held the seat with a reduced majority, but the 1979 by-election saw a large swing against Labour who lost the seat to the Liberal David Alton — a defeat which foreshadowed Labour's national loss in the 1979 general election.

When the constituency disappeared for the 1983 general election, 59.85% of its territory was transferred to the new constituency of Liverpool Mossley Hill, where David Alton was re-elected. The remaining 40.15% of the seat fell into Liverpool Broadgreen, which was won by the Labour left-winger Terry Fields.

Michael Howard, later leader of the Conservative Party, was twice a candidate in the constituency, in the general elections of 1966 and 1970.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Edge Hill and Low Hill, and part of Kensington ward.

1950–1955: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Edge Hill, Fairfield, Kensington, and Low Hill.

1955–1974: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Fairfield, Kensington, Picton, and Smithdown.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Fairfield, Kensington, Low Hill, Picton, and Smithdown.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1918 William Watson Rutherford Conservative
1923 by-election John Henry Hayes Labour
1931 Sir Hugo Rutherford, Bt Conservative
1935 Alexander Critchley Conservative
1945 Richard Clitherow Labour
1947 by-election Arthur Irvine Labour
1979 by-election David Alton Liberal
1983 constituency abolished

Election results

Election in the 1910s

1918 general election: Liverpool Edge Hill [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist William Rutherford 9,832 63.8
Labour Peter Tevenan 5,587 36.2
Majority 4,245 27.6
Turnout 15,419 50.3
Registered electors 30,683
Unionist win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

1922 general election: Liverpool Edge Hill [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist William Rutherford 14,186 59.8 −4.0
Labour Jack Hayes 9,520 40.2 +4.0
Majority 4,666 19.6 −8.0
Turnout 23,706 70.5 +20.2
Registered electors 33,634
Unionist hold Swing −4.0
1923 Liverpool Edge Hill by-election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jack Hayes 10,300 52.7 +12.5
Unionist John Waller Hills 9,250 47.3 −12.5
Majority 1,050 5.4 N/A
Turnout 19,550 58.1 −12.4
Registered electors 33,634
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +12.5
1923 general election: Liverpool Edge Hill [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jack Hayes 13,538 56.9 +16.7
Unionist Oliver Stanley 10,249 43.1 −16.7
Majority 3,289 13.8 N/A
Turnout 23,787 69.9 −0.6
Registered electors 34,021
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +16.7
1924 general election: Liverpool Edge Hill [7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jack Hayes 14,168 53.0 −3.9
Unionist D.C. Williams 12,587 47.0 +3.9
Majority 1,581 6.0 −7.8
Turnout 26,755 78.1 +8.2
Registered electors 34,254
Labour hold Swing −3.9
1929 general election: Liverpool Edge Hill [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jack Hayes 17,650 55.4 +2.4
Unionist Hugo Rutherford 11,622 36.5 −10.5
Liberal Arthur Donald Dennis 2,581 8.1 New
Majority 6,028 18.9 +12.9
Turnout 31,853 74.9 −3.2
Registered electors 42,516
Labour hold Swing +6.5

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugo Rutherford 19,901 62.8 +26.3
Labour Jack Hayes 11,772 37.2 ―17.8
Majority 8,129 25.6 N/A
Turnout 31,673 74.7 ―0.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election 1935: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander Critchley 13,882 50.6 ―12.2
Labour Jack Hayes 13,581 49.5 +12.3
Majority 301 1.1 ―24.5
Turnout 27,463 68.1 ―6.6
Conservative hold Swing ―12.2

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Richard Clitherow 13,150 64.9 +15.4
Conservative Wilfrid Clothier 7,111 35.1 ―15.5
Majority 6,039 29.8 N/A
Turnout 20,261 66.3 ―1.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing ―15.5
By-election 1947: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 10,827 52.1 ―12.8
Conservative Reginald Bevins 8,874 42.6 +7.5
Liberal Hubert Winthrop Young 910 4.4 New
Ind. Labour Party David Gibson 154 0.7 New
Independent Cyril Foster 48 0.2 New
Majority 1,953 9.5 ―20.3
Turnout 20,813 62.7 ―3.4
Labour hold Swing +10.2

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 21,834 50.9 ―14.0
Conservative Eric Errington 18,830 43.9 +8.8
Liberal John Bowen 2,247 5.2 N/A
Majority 3,004 7.0 ―22.8
Turnout 42,911 78.3 +12.0
Labour hold Swing
General election 1951: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 22,906 53.9 +3.0
Conservative Harold Steward 19,569 46.1 +2.2
Majority 3,337 7.8 +0.8
Turnout 42,475 76.4 ―1.9
Labour hold Swing +0.4
General election 1955: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 20,060 51.4 ―2.5
Conservative Harry Sibson Leslie Rigg 18,940 48.6 +2.5
Majority 1,120 2.8 ―5.0
Turnout 39,000 68.0 ―8.4
Labour hold Swing ―2.5
General election 1959: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 19,725 50.9 ―0.5
Conservative Joseph Norton 19,026 49.1 +0.5
Majority 699 1.8 ―1.0
Turnout 38,751 70.7 +2.7
Labour hold Swing ―0.6

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 19,221 59.0 +8.1
Conservative Neil S. Jamieson 13,335 41.0 ―8.1
Majority 5,886 18.0 +14.2
Turnout 32,556 65.6 ―5.1
Labour hold Swing +8.1
General election 1966: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 18,203 63.1 +4.1
Conservative Michael Howard 10,662 36.9 ―4.1
Majority 7,541 26.2 +8.2
Turnout 28,865 60.5 ―5.1
Labour hold Swing +4.1

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 14,752 57.7 ―5.4
Conservative Michael Howard 10,804 42.3 +5.4
Majority 3,948 15.4 ―10.8
Turnout 25,556 58.7 ―1.8
Labour hold Swing ―5.4
General election February 1974: Liverpool Edge Hill[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 12,979 47.9 ―10.1
Liberal David Alton 7,229 26.7 New
Conservative Stephen Nicholas Perry 6,871 25.4 ―16.6
Majority 5,557 18.2 +2.8
Turnout 29,079 66.6 +7.9
Labour hold Swing
General election October 1974: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Irvine 13,023 51.9 +4.0
Liberal David Alton 6,852 27.3 +0.6
Conservative Stephen Nicholas Perry 5,208 20.8 ―4.6
Majority 6,171 24.6 +6.4
Turnout 25,083 61.2 ―5.4
Labour hold Swing +1.7
By-election 1979: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Alton 12,945 64.1 +36.8
Labour Bob Wareing 4,812 23.8 ―28.1
Conservative Charles John Nicholas Ward 1,906 9.4 ―11.3
Law and Order Joan Jonker 337 1.7 New
Socialist Unity Ann Walker 127 0.6 New
Gay Liberal Michael Taylor 40 0.2 New
Independent Bill Boaks 32 0.2 New
Majority 8,133 40.3 N/A
Turnout 20,199 20.2 ―41.0
Liberal gain from Labour Swing +30.2
General election 1979: Liverpool Edge Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Alton 12,701 52.0 +24.7
Labour Bob Wareing 8,453 34.6 ―17.3
Conservative Charles John Nicholas Ward 3,098 12.7 ―8.1
National Front Howard Hawksley 152 0.6 New
Majority 4,248 17.4 N/A
Turnout 24,404 69.0 +7.8
Liberal gain from Labour Swing +21.0

See also

References

  1. ^ "'Liverpool Edge Hill', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  2. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  3. ^ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1922
  4. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  5. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  6. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  7. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  8. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  9. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results February 1974". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)
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