# Central Fife (UK Parliament constituency)

Central Fife was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from February 1974 until 2005, when it was largely replaced by the new Glenrothes constituency, with a small portion joining the expanded North East Fife.
It elected one Member of Parliament (MP), using the first-past-the-post voting system.

## Boundaries
### 1974–1983

The burghs of Cowdenbeath, Leslie, Lochgelly, and Markinch, the districts of Glenrothes and Lochgelly, and the electoral divisions of Markinch North and Markinch South in the district of Kirkcaldy.

### 1983–1997

The Kirkcaldy District electoral divisions of:
* Denbeath/Aberhill
* Mountfleurie/Methilhill/Methil North
* Leven
* Kennoway/Windygates
* Leslie/Markinch Star
* Auchmuty/Woodside
* Pitteuchar/Stenton/Balgonie
* South Parks/Rimbleton
* Southwood/Caskieberran

### 1997–2005

The Kirkcaldy District electoral divisions of:
* Methil, Denbeath and Muiredge
* Methilhill and Mountfleurie
* Leven
* Kennoway and Windygates
* Markinch, Pitcoudie and Star
* Auchmuty, Woodside and Coaltown of Balgonie
* Pitleuchar and Stenton
* Rimbleton and South Parks
* Glenwood and Newcastle
* Leslie and Collydean

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| Feb 1974 | Willie Hamilton | Labour |
| 1987 | Henry McLeish | Labour |
| 2001 | John MacDougall | Labour |
| 2005 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections of the 1970s

General election February 1974: Central Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 24,418 | 53.3 | |
| | SNP | David Veitch Livingstone | 10,324 | 22.5 | |
| | Conservative | Stephen Ronald Eyres | 9,098 | 19.8 | |
| | Communist | Alexander Maxwell | 2,019 | 4.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,094 | 30.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,859 | 79.2 | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
General election October 1974: Central Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 22,400 | 51.9 | −1.4 |
| | SNP | David Veitch Livingstone | 14,414 | 33.4 | +10.9 |
| | Conservative | Peter Derek Clarke | 5,308 | 12.3 | −7.5 |
| | Communist | Alexander Maxwell | 1,040 | 2.4 | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,986 | 18.5 | −12.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,162 | 73.9 | −5.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Central Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 27,619 | 58.0 | +6.1 |
| | Conservative | Iain Allistair McCrone | 9,597 | 20.2 | +7.9 |
| | SNP | James Lynch | 9,208 | 19.4 | −14.0 |
| | Communist | Alexander Maxwell | 1,172 | 2.5 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,022 | 37.8 | +19.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,596 | 77.4 | +3.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections of the 1980s

General election 1983: Central Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 17,008 | 43.1 | −11.2 |
| | Liberal | Teresa Little | 9,214 | 23.4 | New |
| | Conservative | Douglas Mason | 8,863 | 22.5 | 0.0 |
| | SNP | James Taggart | 4,039 | 10.2 | −12.3 |
| | Ecology | David Allison | 297 | 0.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,794 | 19.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,421 | 72.5 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1987: Central Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Henry McLeish | 22,827 | 53.4 | +10.3 |
| | Conservative | Richard Aird | 7,118 | 16.7 | −5.8 |
| | Liberal | Teresa Little | 6,487 | 15.2 | −8.2 |
| | SNP | Dan Hood | 6,296 | 14.7 | +4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,709 | 36.7 | +17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,728 | 72.6 | +0.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.0 | |

### Elections of the 1990s

General election 1992: Central Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Henry McLeish | 21,036 | 50.4 | −3.0 |
| | SNP | Tricia Marwick | 10,458 | 25.1 | +10.4 |
| | Conservative | Carol Cender | 7,353 | 17.6 | +0.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Craig Harrow | 2,892 | 6.9 | −8.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,578 | 25.3 | −11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,739 | 74.3 | +1.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1997: Central Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Henry McLeish | 23,912 | 58.7 | +7.9 |
| | SNP | Tricia Marwick | 10,199 | 25.0 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative | Jacob Rees-Mogg | 3,669 | 9.0 | −8.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ross Laird | 2,610 | 6.4 | −0.5 |
| | Referendum | John Scrymgeour-Wedderburn | 375 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,713 | 33.7 | +8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,765 | 69.8 | −4.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections of the 2000s

General election 2001: Central Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John MacDougall | 18,310 | 56.3 | −2.4 |
| | SNP | David Alexander | 8,235 | 25.3 | +0.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Riches | 2,775 | 8.5 | +2.1 |
| | Conservative | Jeremy Balfour | 2,351 | 7.2 | −1.8 |
| | Scottish Socialist | Morag Balfour | 841 | 2.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,075 | 31.0 | −2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,512 | 54.6 | −15.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |