1924 United Kingdom general election in Scotland

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 1924 United Kingdom general election

| election_date = 29 October 1924

| country = Scotland

| type = parliamentary

| ongoing = no

| previous_election = 1923 United Kingdom general election in Scotland

| previous_year = 1923

| previous_mps = List of MPs elected in the 1923 United Kingdom general election

| next_election = 1929 United Kingdom general election in Scotland

| next_year = 1929

| seats_for_election = All 74 Scottish seats to the House of Commons

| elected_mps = List of MPs elected in the 1924 United Kingdom general election

| image1 = 150x150px

| leader1 = Stanley Baldwin

| party1 = Unionist Party (Scotland)

| last_election1 = 16{{efn|name=fn2}}

| seats1 = 38{{efn|name=fn2}}

| seat_change1 ={{increase}}22{{efn|name=fn2}}

| popular_vote1 = 688,299{{efn|name=fn1}}

| percentage1 = 40.7%{{efn|name=fn1}}

| swing1 = {{increase}}9.1%{{efn|name=fn1}}

| image2 = 150x150px

| leader2 = Ramsay MacDonald

| party2 = Scottish Labour

| last_election2 = 34{{efn|name=fn2}}

| seats2 = 26{{efn|name=fn2}}

| seat_change2 = {{decrease}}8

| popular_vote2 = 697,146{{efn|name=fn1|Total and percentage votes given here are for territorial constituencies only}}

| percentage2 = 41.1%{{efn|name=fn1}}

| swing2 = {{increase}}5.2%{{efn|name=fn1}}

| image3 = 150x150px

| leader3 = H. H. Asquith

| party3 = Liberal Party (UK)

| last_election3 = 23{{efn|name=fn2}}

| seats3 = 9{{efn|name=fn2}}

| seat_change3 = {{decrease}}14{{efn|name=fn2}}

| popular_vote3 = 286,540{{efn|name=fn1}}

| percentage3 = 16.6%{{efn|name=fn1}}

| swing3 = {{decrease}}11.8%{{efn|name=fn1}}

| map_image = File:United Kingdom general election 1924 in Scotland.svg

| map_size = 400px

| map_caption =Results of the 1924 election in Scotland for the county and burgh seats {{legend|#5555FF|Unionist}} {{legend|#DC241F|Labour}} {{legend|#FFD700|Liberal}} {{legend|#800080|Scottish Prohibition Party}}

}}

{{Main|1924 United Kingdom general election}}

A general election was held in the United Kingdom on Wednesday 29 October 1924, as a result of the defeat of the Labour minority government, led by Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, in the House of Commons on a motion of no confidence.{{Cite journal|last=Graper|first=Elmer D.|date=1925|title=The British Election|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0003055400020955/type/journal_article|journal=American Political Science Review|language=en|volume=19|issue=1|pages=84–96|doi=10.2307/2938896|jstor=2938896 |s2cid=145751193 |issn=0003-0554}} It was the third general election to be held in less than two years. Parliament was dissolved on 9 October.{{cite web |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/RP97-40/RP97-40.pdf |title=Parliamentary Election Timetables |edition=3rd |publisher=House of Commons Library |date=25 March 1997 |access-date=3 July 2022}} Scotland was allocated 74 seats in total, with 71 territorial seats (32 burgh constituencies and 38 county constituencies){{efn|One burgh seat, Dundee, was represented by two members of parliament.}} which voted using the first past the post voting method, and one university constituency, which elected an additional 3 members using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) method.{{cite web|url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn04458/|title=Research Briefing: Voting systems in the UK|date=10 January 2023|publisher=Library of the House of Commons|access-date=26 November 2024}} As voters in university constituencies voted under a different system, and in addition to their territorial vote, the results are compiled separately. All 74 seats were contested.

In Scotland the election saw both the Labour Party and the Unionists gain votes at the expense of the Liberals. Labour were slightly (0.4%) ahead of the Unionists in terms of votes cast, however the Unionists managed to secure 12 more Scottish seats than Labour, winning 38 seats in total. The Scottish Liberals saw an 11.8% swing against them and lost more than half their seats to finish third. The only other party represented in parliament from Scotland was the Scottish Prohibition Party, who retained their only seat in Dundee.

When combined with results from across the UK, the Conservatives (with whom the Unionists alligned at Westminster) led by Stanley Baldwin obtained a large parliamentary majority of 209. Labour lost 40 seats. The Liberal Party, led by Asquith, lost 118 of their 158 seats which helped to polarise British politics between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party.