# Acton (UK Parliament constituency)

Acton was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, created for the 1918 general election. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.

## Boundaries

The seat was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918 which increased the number of seats where population had expanded such as in Middlesex due to the conurbation growing around the County of London. It was based on the town of Acton. The seat consisted of the Acton Urban District which became a Municipal Borough in 1921.
A redistribution of Parliamentary seats, which took effect at the 1950 United Kingdom general election made no change to the boundaries; its legislation, affecting election expenses and returning officer re-classified, the seat as a borough constituency.
In 1965 the area became part of the London Borough of Ealing and Greater London.
In the redistribution which took effect at the February 1974 general election, the seat to the west, Ealing South, was abolished and this seat absorbed most of its area to reach the electoral quota, it having been heavily underweight in electorate. The seat in statute and statutory instrument became variously Ealing: Acton and/or simply Acton where under a heading of London Borough of Ealing. From the review effective from the election of 1983 it became Ealing Acton.

### Components

* 1918–74: Acton M.B. Note per the London Government Act 1963 the Metropolitan Borough ceased to exist in 1965, its functions being replaced by the larger London Borough of Ealing.
* 1974–83: Six wards (the old area plus the centre of the new larger borough, further west), namely:
** The London Borough of Ealing wards: Central, East, Hanger Hill, Heathfield, Southfield and Springfield.
The change was extension, along all of the former western edge.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1918 | Sir Harry Brittain | Unionist |
| | 1929 | James Shillaker | Labour |
| | 1931 | Hubert Duggan | Conservative |
| | 1943 | Henry Longhurst | Conservative |
| | 1945 | Joseph Sparks | Labour |
| | 1959 | Philip Holland | Conservative |
| | 1964 | Bernard Floud | Labour |
| | 1968 | Kenneth Baker | Conservative |
| | 1970 | Nigel Spearing | Labour |
| | 1974 | Sir George Young | Conservative |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished: see Ealing Acton | constituency abolished: see Ealing Acton |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1910s

1918 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Harry Brittain | 11,671 | 73.3 | |
| | Labour | Robert Dunsmore | 4,241 | 26.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,430 | 46.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,912 | 53.9 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 29,539 | | |
| | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

1922 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Harry Brittain | 10,208 | 49.9 | −23.4 |
| | Labour | Mary Richardson | 5,342 | 26.2 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal | Neville Dixey | 4,877 | 23.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,866 | 23.7 | −22.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,427 | 67.1 | +13.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 30,425 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −11.5 | |
1923 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Harry Brittain | 8,943 | 44.9 | −5,0 |
| | Labour | Herbert Alphonsus Baldwin | 6,069 | 30.5 | +4.3 |
| | Liberal | Bertram Arthur Levinson | 4,909 | 24.6 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,874 | 14.4 | −9.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,921 | 63.5 | −3.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 31,394 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −4.7 | |
1924 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Harry Brittain | 12,799 | 55.2 | +10.3 |
| | Labour | Herbert Alphonsus Baldwin | 5,583 | 24.0 | −6.5 |
| | Liberal | Bertram Arthur Levinson | 3,074 | 13.2 | −11.4 |
| | Democratic Labour | Mary Richardson | 1,775 | 7.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,216 | 31.2 | +16.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,231 | 72.6 | +9.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 31,999 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +8.4 | |
1929 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Shillaker | 13,208 | 41.4 | +17.4 |
| | Unionist | Harry Brittain | 12,739 | 39.9 | −14.3 |
| | Liberal | Frank Medlicott | 5,981 | 18.7 | +5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 469 | 1.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,926 | 75.5 | +2.9 |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +15.8 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

1931 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hubert Duggan | 24,196 | 66.99 | |
| | Labour | James Shillaker | 11,924 | 33.01 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,272 | 33.98 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,120 | 75.5 | 0.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
1935 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hubert Duggan | 19,137 | 58.5 | −8.5 |
| | Labour | William McLaine | 13,559 | 41.5 | +8.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,578 | 17.0 | −17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,696 | 67.8 | −7.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

1943 Acton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Longhurst | 5,014 | 60.3 | +1.8 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | Walter Padley | 2,336 | 28.1 | New |
| | Independent | Dorothy Crisp | 707 | 8.5 | New |
| | Independent | Edward Godfrey | 258 | 3.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,678 | 32.2 | +15.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,315 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
1945 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Sparks | 19,590 | 56.1 | +14.6 |
| | Conservative | Henry Longhurst | 12,134 | 34.8 | −23.7 |
| | Liberal | Francis Joseph Halpin | 3,172 | 9.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,456 | 21.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,256 | 77.8 | +10.0 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

1950 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Sparks | 21,751 | 49.1 | −7.0 |
| | Conservative | George F Willment | 19,116 | 43.1 | +8.3 |
| | Liberal | Pauline Furniss | 2,781 | 6.3 | −2.8 |
| | Communist | Albert F Papworth | 663 | 1.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,635 | 6.0 | −15.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,311 | 87.8 | +10.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
1951 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Sparks | 23,287 | 52.2 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative | Leslie Frank Ramseyer | 21,296 | 47.8 | +4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,991 | 4.4 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,583 | 86.9 | −0.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −0.7 | |
1955 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Sparks | 20,645 | 50.6 | +1.5 |
| | Conservative | John Leslie Bott | 20,120 | 49.4 | +6.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 525 | 1.2 | −4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,765 | 82.6 | −5.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.6 | |
1959 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Philip Holland | 19,358 | 51.2 | +1.8 |
| | Labour | Joseph Sparks | 18,438 | 48.8 | −1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 920 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,796 | 80.7 | −1.9 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +1.9 | |

### Elections in the 1960s

1964 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bernard Floud | 17,022 | 49.3 | +0.5 |
| | Conservative | Philip Holland | 14,423 | 41.8 | −9.4 |
| | Liberal | Barwys Niel Martin-Kaye | 3,049 | 8.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,599 | 7.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,494 | 77.4 | −3.3 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
1966 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bernard Floud | 18,541 | 57.7 | +8.4 |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Baker | 13,600 | 42.3 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,941 | 15.4 | +7.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,141 | 74.0 | −3.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
1968 Acton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Baker | 12,242 | 48.67 | +6.36 |
| | Labour | Walter Johnson | 8,522 | 33.88 | −23.81 |
| | Liberal | Frank Davis | 2,868 | 11.40 | New |
| | National Front | Andrew Fountaine | 1,400 | 5.57 | New |
| | Independent | Harold Fox | 75 | 0.30 | New |
| | Independent | William Gold | 44 | 0.17 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,720 | 14.79 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,151 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

1970 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Nigel Spearing | 13,960 | 48.0 | −9.7 |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Baker | 13,300 | 45.7 | +3.4 |
| | Liberal | Dion Scherer | 1,583 | 5.4 | New |
| | Communist | Maurice Costin | 258 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 660 | 2.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,101 | 66.1 | −7.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
February 1974 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Young | 18,492 | 43.3 | −2.4 |
| | Labour | Nigel Spearing | 17,041 | 39.9 | −8.1 |
| | Liberal | Mario Uziell-Hamilton | 7,160 | 16.8 | +11.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,451 | 3.4 | +1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,693 | 75.7 | +9.6 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
October 1974 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Young | 17,669 | 45.1 | +1.8 |
| | Labour | Glen Barnham | 16,861 | 43.0 | +3.1 |
| | Liberal | Mario Uziell-Hamilton | 4,569 | 11.7 | −5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 808 | 2.1 | −1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,199 | 69.0 | −16.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
1979 general election: Acton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Young | 21,056 | 51.9 | +6.8 |
| | Labour | Glen Barnham | 15,258 | 37.5 | −5.5 |
| | Liberal | Simon Rowley | 3,549 | 8.7 | −3.0 |
| | National Front | Clive Wakley | 501 | 1.2 | New |
| | Independent | James O'Leary | 243 | 0.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,798 | 14.2 | +12.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,607 | 71.4 | +2.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |