Airdrie and Shotts (UK Parliament constituency)
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55°50′42″N 3°53′31″W / 55.845°N 3.892°W
Airdrie and Shotts | |
---|---|
Burgh constituency for the House of Commons | |
Subdivisions of Scotland | North Lanarkshire |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1997 |
Member of Parliament | Neil Gray (SNP) |
Created from | Monklands East |
Overlaps | |
Scottish Parliament | Central Scotland |
Airdrie and Shotts is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in central Scotland within the North Lanarkshire council area. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) at least once every five years using the first-past-the-post system of voting.
The constituency has existed since 1997; however, it underwent significant boundary changes in 2005. Before 2015 it could have been described as a safe seat for the Labour Party, who held it with a majority of over 12,000 votes until its current MP, Neil Gray of the Scottish National Party, was elected in that year's general election. Former MPs for the constituency include Pamela Nash, former Baby of the House, John Reid, former Labour Home Secretary and Defence Secretary, and Helen Liddell, former Labour Scottish Secretary.
It is a generally working class, urban seat, and contains the towns of Airdrie, Calderbank, Chapelhall, Glenmavis and Shotts.
Boundaries and history
1997-2005: The Monklands District electoral divisions of Airdrie North and Airdrie South, and the Motherwell District electoral division of Fortissat.
2005–present: The North Lanarkshire Council wards of Academy, Airdrie Central, Benhar, Calderbank, Chapelhall, Clarkston, Craigneuk and Petersburn, Dykehead, Holytown, New Monkland West, Newarthill, Newmains, North Cairnhill and Coatdyke, Plains and Caldercruix, Salsburgh, South East Cairnhill and Gartlea, Stane, and Whinhall.
The majority of the newly created constituency maintains the boundaries of its predecessor. From North Lanarkshire come Holytown and Newarthill. This seat is positioned on either side of the M8 motorway to Glasgow.
Small semi-urban towns such as Stane, Dykehead and Shotts were added to Airdrie in the 1997 redistribution to form this seat, the predecessor of which was Monklands East. An area in the eastern part of Coatbridge is also part of the constituency.
The 2005 changes saw the seat lose some territory to Motherwell and Wishaw whilst gaining part of Hamilton North and Bellshill. It has proved to be a Labour Party stronghold since its creation.
Members of Parliament
Election | Member[1] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | 1997 | Helen Liddell | Labour |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | 2005 | John Reid | Labour |
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | 2010 | Pamela Nash | Labour |
style="background-color: Template:Scottish National Party/meta/color" | | 2015 | Neil Gray | Scottish National Party |
Election results
Elections of the 2010s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Neil Gray | 23,887 | 53.9 | +30.4 | |
Labour | Pamela Nash | 15,108 | 34.1 | −24.0 | |
Conservative | Eric Holford | 3,389 | 7.7 | −1.0 | |
UKIP | Matthew Williams[4] | 1,088 | 2.5 | n/a | |
Liberal Democrats | John Love | 678 | 1.5 | −6.6 | |
Independent | Deryck Beaumont | 136 | 0.3 | K.A. | |
Majority | 8,779 | 19.8 | |||
Turnout | 44,286 | 66.3 | +8.8 | ||
SNP gain from Labour | Swing | +27.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Pamela Nash | 20,849 | 58.2 | −0.9 | |
SNP | Sophia Coyle | 8,441 | 23.5 | +7.0 | |
Conservative | Ruth Whitfield | 3,133 | 8.7 | −1.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | John Love | 2,898 | 8.1 | −3.4 | |
Independent | John McGeechan | 528 | 1.5 | K.A. | |
Majority | 12,408 | 34.6 | |||
Turnout | 35,849 | 57.5 | +2.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −3.9 |
Elections of the 2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Reid | 19,568 | 59.0 | +0.8 | |
SNP | Malcolm Balfour | 5,484 | 16.5 | −2.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | Helen Watt | 3,792 | 11.4 | +3.9 | |
Conservative | Stuart Cottis | 3,271 | 9.9 | −3.7 | |
Scottish Socialist | Fraser Coats | 706 | 2.1 | −1.6 | |
Scottish Independence Party | Joseph Rowan | 337 | 1.0 | K.A. | |
Majority | 14,084 | 42.5 | |||
Turnout | 33,158 | 53.5 | −0.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +1.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Helen Liddell | 18,478 | 58.2 | −3.6 | |
SNP | Mrs. Alison Jean Lindsay | 6,138 | 19.3 | −5.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | John Love | 2,376 | 7.5 | +3.3 | |
Conservative | Gordon McIntosh | 1,960 | 6.2 | −2.7 | |
Scottish Unionist | Mark Dempsey | 1,439 | 4.5 | K.A. | |
Scottish Socialist | Kenny McGuigan | 1,171 | 3.7 | K.A. | |
Socialist Labour | Christ Herriot | 174 | 0.5 | K.A. | |
Majority | 12,340 | 38.9 | |||
Turnout | 31,736 | 54.4 | −17.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections of the 1990s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Helen Liddell | 25,460 | 61.8 | K.A. | |
SNP | Keith R.A. Robertson | 10,048 | 24.4 | K.A. | |
Conservative | Nicholas H. Brook | 3,660 | 8.9 | K.A. | |
Liberal Democrats | Richard G. Wolseley | 1,719 | 4.2 | K.A. | |
Referendum | Crawford Semple | 294 | 0.7 | K.A. | |
Majority | 15,412 | 37.4 | K.A. | ||
Turnout | 41,181 | 71.4 | K.A. | ||
Labour win (new seat) |
References
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 1)
- ^ election result http://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=31684 8Aug15
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/airdrieandshotts/
- ^ Airdrie and Shotts, UKPollingReport
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/803.stm