Airdrie and Shotts (UK Parliament constituency)
Airdrie and Shotts | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Boundary of Airdrie and Shotts in Scotland for the 2005 general election | |
Subdivisions of Scotland | North Lanarkshire |
Electorate | 70,199 |
Major settlements | Airdrie, Caldercruix, Shotts |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1997 |
Member of Parliament | Kenneth Stevenson (Labour) |
Created from | Monklands East |
Overlaps | |
Scottish Parliament | Central Scotland |
Airdrie and Shotts is a constituency of the UK 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 Neil Gray of the Scottish National Party (SNP) was elected at 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.
From 2015 to 2021, the Member of Parliament for the seat was Neil Gray of the SNP. He resigned in March 2021 to run for a seat in the Scottish Parliament, triggering a by-election, which was won by Anum Qaisar.[1] The seat was re-gained by Labour at the 2024 general election and is currently represented by Kenneth Stevenson.
Constituency profile
[edit]The majority of this constituency maintains the boundaries of its predecessor. From the North Lanarkshire constituency come Holytown and Newarthill. This seat is positioned on either side of the M8 motorway to Glasgow. Small semi-urban towns such as Shotts (including Stane and Dykehead) 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.
Electoral Calculus describes the seat as "Traditional", characterised by working class people with lower levels of income and formal education.[2]
Boundaries and history
[edit]1997–2005: The Monklands District electoral divisions of Airdrie North and Airdrie South, and the Motherwell District electoral division of Fortissat.
2005–2024: The North Lanarkshire Council wards of academy, Airdrie Central, Airdrie North,[3] Airdrie South,[3] 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. In 2007 these were converted into multi-member wards, with the following falling within the constituency: Airdrie Central, Airdrie North, Airdrie South, Fortissat, Mossend and Holytown (part), Murdostoun (part).
The 2005 changes saw the seat lose some territory to Motherwell and Wishaw whilst gaining part of Hamilton North and Bellshill. It proved to be a Labour Party stronghold from its creation until the Scottish National Party gained it at the 2015 general election, with Neil Gray winning the seat from Pamela Nash by 8,779 votes. Gray's majority dipped to just 195 in the 2017 election. However, in the 2019 election he won by 5,201 votes.[4]
On 24 March 2021 it was formally announced that Neil Gray had officially stood down as the Member of Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts to contest the 2021 Scottish Parliament election seat of the same name.
Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies the constituency was redrawn with minor changes before 2024 general election.
Members of Parliament
[edit]Election | Member[5] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Helen Liddell | Labour | |
2005 | John Reid | Labour | |
2010 | Pamela Nash | Labour | |
2015 | Neil Gray | SNP | |
2021 by-election | Anum Qaisar | SNP | |
2024 | Kenneth Stevenson | Labour |
Election results
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Airdrie_%26_Shotts_Results_1997-2021.png/220px-Airdrie_%26_Shotts_Results_1997-2021.png)
Elections in the 2020s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kenneth Stevenson | 18,871 | 51.5 | ||
SNP | Anum Qaisar | 11,324 | 30.9 | ||
Reform UK | David Hall | 2,971 | 8.1 | ||
Conservative | Alexandra Herdman | 1,696 | 4.6 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Lewis Younie | 725 | 2.0 | ||
Alba | Josh Robertson | 623 | 1.7 | ||
BUP | John Jo Leckie | 456 | 1.2 | ||
Majority | 7,547 | 20.6 | |||
Turnout | 36,666 | 52.2 | |||
Labour win (new boundaries) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Anum Qaisar-Javed | 10,129 | 46.4 | +1.4 | |
Labour | Kenneth Stevenson | 8,372 | 38.4 | +6.5 | |
Conservative | Ben Callaghan | 2,812 | 12.9 | −4.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Stephen Arrundale | 220 | 1.0 | −2.6 | |
SDP | Neil Manson | 151 | 0.7 | N/A | |
Scottish Unionist | Jonathan Stanley | 59 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Reform UK | Martyn Greene | 45 | 0.2 | N/A | |
UKIP | Donald Mackay | 39 | 0.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,757 | 8.0 | −5.1 | ||
Turnout | 21,827 | 34.3 | −28.0 | ||
Registered electors | 63,705 | ||||
SNP hold | Swing | -2.5 |
Elections in the 2010s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Neil Gray | 17,929 | 45.0 | +7.4 | |
Labour | Helen McFarlane | 12,728 | 31.9 | −5.2 | |
Conservative | Lorraine Nolan | 7,011 | 17.6 | −5.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | William Crossman | 1,419 | 3.6 | +1.5 | |
Scottish Green | Rosemary McGowan | 685 | 1.7 | N/A | |
Majority | 5,201 | 13.1 | +12.6 | ||
Turnout | 39,772 | 62.3 | +3.1 | ||
Registered electors | 64,011 | ||||
SNP hold | Swing | +6.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Neil Gray | 14,291 | 37.6 | −16.3 | |
Labour | Helen McFarlane | 14,096 | 37.1 | +3.0 | |
Conservative | Jennifer Donnellan | 8,813 | 23.2 | +15.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Ewan McRobert | 802 | 2.1 | +0.6 | |
Majority | 195 | 0.5 | −19.3 | ||
Turnout | 38,002 | 59.2 | −6.9 | ||
Registered electors | 64,146 | ||||
SNP hold | Swing | -9.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Neil Gray | 23,887 | 53.9 | +30.4 | |
Labour | Pamela Nash | 15,108 | 34.1 | −24.1 | |
Conservative | Eric Holford | 3,389 | 7.7 | −1.0 | |
UKIP | Matthew Williams | 1,088 | 2.5 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | John Love | 678 | 1.5 | −6.6 | |
Independent | Deryck Beaumont | 136 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 8,779 | 19.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 44,286 | 66.3 | +8.8 | ||
Registered electors | 66,792 | ||||
SNP gain from Labour | Swing | +27.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Pamela Nash | 20,849 | 58.2 | −0.8 | |
SNP | Sophia Coyle | 8,441 | 23.5 | +7.0 | |
Conservative | Ruth Whitfield | 3,133 | 8.7 | −1.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | John Love | 2,898 | 8.1 | −3.3 | |
Independent | John McGeechan | 528 | 1.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 12,408 | 34.7 | −7.8 | ||
Turnout | 35,849 | 57.5 | +4.0 | ||
Registered electors | 62,364 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -3.9 |
Elections in the 2000s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Reid | 19,568 | 59.0 | ||
SNP | Malcolm Balfour | 5,484 | 16.5 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Helen Watt | 3,792 | 11.4 | ||
Conservative | Stuart Cottis | 3,271 | 9.9 | ||
Scottish Socialist | Fraser Coats | 706 | 2.1 | ||
Scottish Independence Party | Joseph Rowan | 337 | 1.0 | ||
Majority | 14,084 | 42.5 | |||
Turnout | 33,158 | 53.5 | |||
Labour win (new boundaries) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Helen Liddell | 18,478 | 58.2 | −3.6 | |
SNP | Alison 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 | N/A | |
Scottish Socialist | Kenny McGuigan | 1,171 | 3.7 | N/A | |
Socialist Labour | Chris Herriot | 174 | 0.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 12,340 | 38.9 | +1.5 | ||
Turnout | 31,736 | 54.4 | −17.0 | ||
Registered electors | 58,349 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.7 |
Elections in the 1990s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Helen Liddell | 25,460 | 61.8 | ||
SNP | Keith Robertson | 10,048 | 24.4 | ||
Conservative | Nicholas Brook | 3,660 | 8.9 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Richard Wolseley | 1,719 | 4.2 | ||
Referendum | Crawford Semple | 294 | 0.7 | ||
Majority | 15,412 | 37.4 | |||
Turnout | 41,181 | 71.4 | |||
Labour win (new seat) |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Sim, Philip [@BBCPhilipSim] (24 March 2021). "This is now confirmed: Neil Gray has gone from being MP for Airdrie and Shotts to the Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead (...which is one way of quitting Westminster) - and as of tomorrow will be the SNP candidate to be MSP for Airdrie and Shotts. By-election incoming" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 March 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Airdrie and Shotts: Seat Details". Electoral Calculus. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ a b Baxter, Martin (14 September 2018). "Seat Details". Electoral Calculus. Retrieved 8 February 2019.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Airdrie & Shotts parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 1)
- ^ "Airdrie and Shotts constituency". North Lanarkshire Council. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "Airdrie and Shotts - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "UK Parliamentary Elections 2019". North Lanarkshire Council. Retrieved 16 November 2019.[dead link]
- ^ "Election Data 2017". Politics Resources. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Election results". North Lanarkshire Council. 5 May 2015.[dead link]
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Election 2010 - Constituency - Airdrie & Shotts". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
External links
[edit]- Politics Resources (Election results from 1922 onwards)
- Electoral Calculus (Election results from 1955 onwards)
- Airdrie and Shotts UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2005 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
- Airdrie and Shotts UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK