Birkenhead East (UK Parliament constituency)
{{Short description|Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918–1950}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox UK constituency
|name = Birkenhead East
|type = Borough
|parliament = uk
|year = 1918
|abolished = 1950
|elects_howmany = one
|previous = Birkenhead and Wirral
|next = Birkenhead, Bebington
|}}
Birkenhead East was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Birkenhead area of Merseyside. 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.
History
The constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918 for the 1918 general election when the Parliamentary Borough of Birkenhead was split between the East and West Divisions.
It was abolished by the Representation of the People Act 1948 for the 1950 general election.
Boundaries
The County Borough of Birkenhead wards of Argyle, Bebington, Clifton, Egerton, and Mersey, and the part of the borough which lay between the eastern boundary of Argyle, Mersey and Bebington wards and the centre of the bed of the River Mersey.{{Cite book|last=Fraser|first=Hugh|url=https://archive.org/details/representationof00frasrich|title=The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes|date=1918|publisher=London : Sweet and Maxwell|others=University of California Libraries}}
On abolition, southern parts (Bebington, Egerton and Mersea wards) were included in the new constituency of Bebington, and northern parts (Argyle and Clifton wards) were included in the reconstituted constituency of Birkenhead.
Members of Parliament
| class="wikitable" | ||
| colspan="2"|Year | Member | Party |
|---|---|---|
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 1918 | Unionist | ||
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
| 1922 | Liberal | ||
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| 1924 | Unionist | ||
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
| 1929 | Liberal | ||
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| 1945 | Labour | ||
| colspan="2" align="center"| 1950
|colspan="2"|constituency abolished |
Election results
=Election in the 1910s=
{{Election box begin | title=General election 1918: Birkenhead EastBritish Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link coalition 1918|
|party = Unionist Party (UK)
|candidate = Alfred Bigland
|votes = 13,012
|percentage = 64.5
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = John Finigan
|votes = 5,399
|percentage = 26.7
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Liberal Party (UK)
|candidate = Graham White
|votes = 1,787
|percentage = 8.8
|change =
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes = 7,613
|percentage = 37.8
|change =
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 20,198
|percentage = 60.7
|change =
}}
{{Election box new seat win|
|winner = Unionist Party (UK)
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end 1918}}
=Election in the 1920s=
{{Election box begin | title=General election 1922: Birkenhead East British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Liberal Party (UK)
|candidate = Graham White
|votes = 14,690
|percentage = 57.8
|change = +49.0
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Unionist Party (UK)
|candidate = Alfred Bigland
|votes = 10,745
|percentage = 42.2
|change = -22.3
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes = 3,945
|percentage = 15.6
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 25,435
|percentage = 77.5
|change = -16.8
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Liberal Party (UK)
|loser = Unionist Party (UK)
|swing = +35.7
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin | title=General election 1923: Birkenhead East British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Liberal Party (UK)
|candidate = Graham White
|votes = 15,845
|percentage = 63.5
|change = +5.7
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Unionist Party (UK)
|candidate = Luke Lees
|votes = 9,091
|percentage = 36.5
|change = -5.7
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes =6,754
|percentage =27.0
|change =+11.4
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 24,936
|percentage = 74.1
|change = -3.4
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
|winner = Liberal Party (UK)
|swing = +5.7
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin | title=General election 1924: Birkenhead East British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Unionist Party (UK)
|candidate =William Henry Stott
|votes =11,328
|percentage =40.3
|change =+3.8
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Liberal Party (UK)
|candidate =Graham White
|votes =9,275
|percentage =33.0
|change =-30.5
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate =James Coulthard
|votes =7,496
|percentage =26.7
|change = New
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes = 2,053
|percentage = 7.3
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 20,603
|percentage = 81.0
|change = +6.9
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Unionist Party (UK)
|loser = Liberal Party (UK)
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin | title=General election 1929: Birkenhead East British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Liberal Party (UK)
|candidate = Graham White
|votes = 13,157
|percentage = 35.9
|change = +2.9
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Unionist Party (UK)
|candidate = Edmund Brocklebank
|votes = 11,860
|percentage = 32.3
|change = -8.0
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = James Coulthard
|votes = 11,654
|percentage = 31.8
|change = +5.1
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes = 1,297
|percentage = 3.6
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 25,017
|percentage = 78.8
|change = -2.2
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Liberal Party (UK)
|loser = Unionist Party (UK)
|swing = +5.5
}}
{{Election box end}}
=Election in the 1930s=
{{Election box begin | title=General election 1931: Birkenhead EastBritish Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Liberal Party (UK)
|candidate = Graham White
|votes = 26,938
|percentage = 73.2
|change = +37.3
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Charles McVey
|votes = 9,868
|percentage = 26.8
|change = -5.0
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes = 17,070
|percentage = 46.4
|change = +42.8
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 36,806
|percentage = 79.1
|change = +0.3
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
|winner = Liberal Party (UK)
|swing = +21.2
}}
{{Election box end}}
- Conservative candidate Walter Fletcher withdrew 17 days before polling day"Obituary: Sir Walter Fletcher Former M.P. For Bury". The Times. 7 April 1956. p. 11.
{{Election box begin | title=General election 1935: Birkenhead EastBritish Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Liberal Party (UK)
|candidate = Graham White
|votes = 16,548
|percentage = 48.1
|change = -25.1
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Conservative Party (UK)
|candidate = S J Hill
|votes = 9,854
|percentage = 28.6
|change = New
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Mary Mercer
|votes = 8,028
|percentage = 23.3
|change =-3.5
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes = 6,694
|percentage = 19.5
|change = -26.9
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 34,430
|percentage = 74.2
|change = -4.9
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
|winner = Liberal Party (UK)
|swing =
}}
{{election box end}}
=Election in the 1940s=
{{Election box begin | title=General election 1945: Birkenhead East:British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Frank Soskice
|votes = 14,790
|percentage = 45.5
|change = +22.2
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Liberal Party (UK)
|candidate = Graham White
|votes = 10,140
|percentage = 31.1
|change = -17.0
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Conservative Party (UK)
|candidate = Frederick Newell Bucher
|votes = 7,624
|percentage = 23.4
|change = -5.2
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes = 4,650
|percentage = 14.4
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 32,554
|percentage = 73.6
|change = -0.6
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|loser = Liberal Party (UK)
|swing =+19.6
}}
{{election box end}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
- {{Rayment-hc|b|3|date=March 2012}}
- {{cite book |last=Craig |first=F. W. S. |author-link= F. W. S. Craig |title=British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 |orig-year=1969 |edition= 3rd |year=1983 |publisher= Parliamentary Research Services |location=Chichester |isbn= 0-900178-06-X}}
Category:Parliamentary constituencies in Merseyside (historic)
Category:Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1918
Category:Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1950