Glasgow Gorbals (UK Parliament constituency)

Glasgow Gorbals was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Glasgow. From 1918 until 1974, 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.

Glasgow Gorbals
Former Burgh constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandCity of Glasgow
1918–1974 (1974)
Number of membersOne
Replaced byGlasgow Queen's Park, Glasgow Govan[1]
Created fromMid Lanarkshire

Boundaries

The Representation of the People Act 1918 provided that the constituency was to consist of "That portion of the city which is bounded by a line commencing at a point on the municipal boundary at the centre line of the River Clyde about 77 yards east of the centre of Rutherglen Bridge, thence southwestward along the municipal boundary to the centre of the Caledonian Railway Main Line from Glasgow to Rutherglen, thence north-westward along the centre line of the said Caledonian Railway to the centre line of the Glasgow and South Western Railway, thence south-westward along the centre line of the said Glasgow and South Western Railway to the centre line of Victoria Road, thence northward along the centre line of Victoria Road, Eglinton Street, Bridge Street and Glasgow Bridge to the centre line of the River Clyde, thence south-eastward along the centre line of the River Clyde to the point of commencement."[2]

1950–1955: The County of the City of Glasgow wards of Gorbals and Hutchesontown, and part of Govanhill ward.

1955–1974: The County of the City of Glasgow wards of Gorbals and Hutchesontown, and parts of Govanhill and Kingston wards.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember [3] Party
1918George BarnesCoalition Labour
1922 George BuchananLabour
1931Ind. Labour Party
1939Labour Party
1948 by-electionAlice CullenLabour
1969 by-electionFrank McElhoneLabour
Feb 1974 constituency abolished: see Glasgow Queen's Park

Election results

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Glasgow Gorbals[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank McElhone 10,260 69.3 -3.8
Conservative William Shearer 3,071 20.8 -2.0
SNP Thomas Brady 1,089 7.4 N/A
Communist John Kay 376 2.5 -1.6
Majority 7,189 48.6 -1.6
Turnout 14,796 59.7 -2.0
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s
1969 Glasgow Gorbals by-election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank McElhone 7,834 53.4 -19.7
SNP Thomas Brady 3,671 25.0 New
Conservative William Shearer 2,732 18.6 -4.2
Communist John Kay 361 2.5 -1.6
Workers (Scotland) Matt Lygate 72 0.5 New
Majority 4,163 28.4 -21.8
Turnout 14,670
Labour hold Swing
General election 1966: Glasgow Gorbals[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alice Cullen 14,453 73.1 +1.7
Conservative William C Hunter 4,513 22.8 -0.2
Communist Margaret Hunter 819 4.1 -1.5
Majority 9,940 50.2 +1.8
Turnout 19,785 61.7 -2.8
Labour hold Swing
General election 1964: Glasgow Gorbals[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alice Cullen 16,931 71.4 +8.1
Unionist William C Hunter 5,455 23.0 -7.8
Communist Margaret Hunter 1,339 5.6 -0.3
Majority 11,476 48.4 +15.8
Turnout 23,725 64.5 -3.7
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1959: Glasgow Gorbals
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alice Cullen 20,731 63.3 +2.1
Unionist William C Hunter 10,072 30.8 -1.3
Communist Peter Kerrigan 1,932 5.9 -0.9
Majority 10,659 32.6 +3.5
Turnout 32,735 68.2 +3.0
Labour hold Swing
General election 1955: Glasgow Gorbals
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alice Cullen 22,567 61.2 -0.6
Unionist William B Thomson 11,839 32.1 +0.1
Communist Peter Kerrigan 2,491 6.8 +0.6
Majority 10,728 29.1 -0.8
Turnout 36,897 65.2 -10.9
Labour hold Swing
General election 1951: Glasgow Gorbals
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alice Cullen 25,288 61.8 +2.8
Unionist James A Young 13,069 32.0 +0.5
Communist Peter Kerrigan 2,553 6.2 +0.3
Majority 12,219 29.9 +3.3
Turnout 40,910 76.1 -0.7
Labour hold Swing
General election 1950: Glasgow Gorbals
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alice Cullen 24,010 58.0 -22.0
Unionist James A Young 13,013 31.5 +11.5
Communist Peter Kerrigan 2,426 5.9 New
Anti-Partition William McGuinness 1,920 4.6 New
Majority 10.997 26.6 -33.4
Turnout 41,369 76.8 +19.9
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s
1948 Glasgow Gorbals by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alice Cullen 13,706 54.56 -25.44
Unionist W. Roxburgh 7,181 28.59 +8.59
Communist Peter Kerrigan 4,233 16.85 +16.85
Majority 6,525 25.97 -34.01
Turnout 25,120
Labour hold Swing +17.02
General election 1945: Glasgow Gorbals
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Buchanan 21,073 80.0 +74.1
Unionist Ian Mactaggart 5,269 20.0 +9.9
Majority 15,804 60.0 N/A
Turnout 26,342 56.9
Labour gain from Ind. Labour Party Swing

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1935: Glasgow Gorbals [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ind. Labour Party George Buchanan 22,860 75.02 New
Unionist M. Bloch 5,824 19.11
Labour Alexander Burnett 1,786 5.86
Majority 17,036 55.91
Turnout 31,470
Ind. Labour Party gain from Independent Labour Swing
General election 1931: Glasgow Gorbals [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Labour George Buchanan 19,278 58.12 New
Unionist M. Bloch 11,264 33.96
Communist Harry McShane 2,626 7.92 New
Majority 8,014 24.16
Turnout 33,168
Ind. Labour Party hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1929: Glasgow Gorbals [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Buchanan 25,134 74.8 +8.9
Unionist Maurice Bloch 8,457 25.2 −8.9
Majority 16,677 49.6 +17.8
Turnout 33,591 68.5 −4.5
Registered electors 49,004
Labour hold Swing +8.9
General election 1924: Glasgow Gorbals [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Buchanan 19,480 65.9 −1.3
Unionist Robert McLellan 10,092 34.1 +1.3
Majority 9,388 31.8 −2.6
Turnout 29,572 73.0 +9.5
Registered electors 40,483
Labour hold Swing −1.3
General election 1923: Glasgow Gorbals [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Buchanan 17,211 67.2 +12.7
Unionist Robert McLellan 8,392 32.8 New
Majority 8,819 34.4 +7.3
Turnout 25,603 63.5 −11.6
Registered electors 40,331
Labour hold Swing N/A
General election 1922: Glasgow Gorbals
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Buchanan 16,478 54.5 +20.2
National Liberal James Erskine Harper 8,276 27.4 New
Independent Communist John Maclean 4,027 13.3 New
Liberal Francis John Robertson 1,456 4.8 New
Majority 8,202 27.1 N/A
Turnout 30,237 75.1 +21.9
Registered electors 40,251
Labour gain from Coalition Labour Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s
General election 1918: Glasgow Gorbals
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Coalition Labour *George Barnes 14,247 65.7
Labour John Maclean 7,436 34.3
Majority 6,811 31.4
Turnout 21,683 53.2
Registered electors 40,765
Coalition Labour win (new seat)

* Barnes did not receive the Coalition Coupon and was therefore an unofficial candidate.

References
  1. Statutory Instrument 1970 No. 1680 (section Two) The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1970 (Coming into force 25 November 1970)
  2. Representation of the People Act 1918, Schedule 9, Part I.
  3. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "G" (part 2)
  4. UK General Election results: 1970
  5. "1969 - 70 By Elections". 11 October 2008. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008.
  6. UK General Election results: March 1966
  7. UK General Election results: October 1964
  8. Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
  9. Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
  10. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  11. Oliver & Boyd's Edinburgh Almanac, 1927
  12. The Times, 8 December 1923
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