# Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)

Belfast West is a parliamentary constituency (seat) in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The current MP is Paul Maskey of Sinn Fein.
In 2017, it ranked the most secure of Northern Ireland's 18 seats by percentage and/or numerical tally of its winning majority, followed by North Down and by North Antrim respectively.

## Boundaries

1885–1918: In the Borough of Belfast, Smithfield ward, that part of St. Anne's ward bounded on the north-west by a line drawn along the centre of Carrick Hill, that part of St. George's ward lying to the north of a line drawn along the centre of Grosvenor Street and west of a line drawn along the centre of Durham Street, and the townlands of Ballymagarry and Ballymurphy in the parish of Shankill.
1922–1974: The County Borough of Belfast wards of Court, Falls, St. Anne's, St. George's, Smithfield, and Woodvale. The boundaries of these wards can be seen in Schedule 9 of the Report of the Boundary Commission (Ireland) on the Representation of the People Bill 1917 - redistribution of seats.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Belfast wards of Court, Falls, St Anne's, St George's, Smithfield, and Woodvale, and the Rural District of Lisburn electoral divisions of Andersonstown, Ballygammon, and Ladybrook.
1983–1997: The District of Belfast wards of Andersonstown, Ballygomartin, Central, Clonard, Court, Falls, Grosvenor, Highfield, Ladybrook, Milltown, North Howard, St James, Suffolk, and Whiterock.
1997–2010: The District of Belfast wards of Andersonstown, Beechmount, Clonard, Falls, Falls Park, Glencairn, Glencolin, Glen Road, Highfield, Ladybrook, Shankill, Upper Springfield, and Whiterock, and the District of Lisburn wards of Collin Glen, Kilwee, Poleglass, and Twinbrook.
2010–present: The District of Belfast wards of Andersonstown, Beechmount, Clonard, Falls, Falls Park, Glencairn, Glencolin, Glen Road, Highfield, Ladybrook, Shankill, Upper Springfield, and Whiterock, and the City of Lisburn wards of Collin Glen, Dunmurry, Kilwee, Poleglass, Twinbrook, and part of Derryaghy.
The seat was restored in 1922 (having been abolished for the 1918 general election) when as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut. In 1983 the Sandy Row and Donegall Road areas were removed leaving a seat centred on the west section of Belfast, though between 1983 and 1997 it included the area around the Docks on the north east side of the Lagan Estuary.
Prior to the 2010 general election, boundary changes added the Dunmurry ward and the northern part of Derriaghy ward to this seat. Following public consultation, the proposals were passed through Parliament via the Northern Ireland Parliamentary Constituencies Order. In an unprecedented move by a Boundary Commission, an electoral ward was split between constituencies following disquiet in parts of Derriaghy. This ward is now split between Belfast West and Lagan Valley.

## History

Belfast West has historically been the most nationalist of Belfast's four constituencies, though it is only in the last few decades that the votes for unionist parties have plunged to tiny levels. The constituency is largely made of a long, slender, belt along the Falls Road and its suburban extensions, with three of the five wards from the staunchly unionist Shankill area now something of a bolt-on, with a several kilometre (miles) long peace line dividing them from the rest of the constituency. There is also a smaller Protestant enclave at Suffolk.
The tenor of the constituency is largely working class and in the 1991 census it was one of only twenty constituencies where the majority of housing was still state owned. Although there are now large pockets of middle-class housing in Andersonstown and other suburban parts of the seat. Closer to the centre public-sector terraced housing, both Victorian and high quality modern housing, predominates, while in the suburbs, leafy pockets are scattered among post-War housing estates such as Lenadoon and Twinbrook.
The Westminster constituency was consistently held by the Ulster Unionist Party but always had strong Labour movement sympathies. In the 1923 UK general election, the Belfast Labour Party came within 1,000 votes of taking the seat. A by-election in 1943 was won by Jack Beattie, standing for the Northern Ireland Labour Party. For the next twenty-three years the seat would regularly change from unionist to nationalist/labour, with the latter represented by a variety of parties.
In the 1966 general election the seat was won by Gerry Fitt of the Republican Labour Party. Later in 1970 he left that party to become a founder and first leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. In the February 1974 general election, Belfast West was the only constituency in Northern Ireland to elect an MP supporting the Sunningdale Agreement. Fitt's majority was a narrow 2180 votes in February 1974 primarily due to the candidature of Albert Price, father of the Price sisters who were in prison in England for PIRA related offences. However the candidacy of a UVF backed candidate in October 1974 and a declining Unionist vote in 1979 led to him increasing his majorities in subsequent years. He retained the seat for the next nine years but increasingly distanced himself from nationalist groups and in late 1979 he left the SDLP altogether. He sat as an independent socialist but lost his seat in the 1983 General Election when it was won by Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin. The Unionist vote which had still been at 30% in the 1982 Assembly elections was cut to 20% as a result of the 1983 boundary changes which, while adding the loyalist Glencairn area, removed the Donegall Road, Sandy Row and added the Nationalist Lenadoon area.
Adams' share of the vote, at 37%, was short of a majority and he achieved victory only due to Fitt and the SDLP candidate splitting the non-Sinn Féin vote. In 1987 Adams narrowly held his seat, but lost it in the 1992 general election amidst a strong tactical voting campaign in favour of Joe Hendron of the Social Democratic and Labour Party by unionists in the Shankill Road area of the constituency. After the election a constituent, Maura McCrory, lodged an election petition challenging the result. The election court reported Hendron personally guilty of the illegal practice of failing to deliver a declaration verifying the return of his election expenses, and guilty through his election agent of failing to deliver a verified return of election expenses within 35 days, exceeding the maximum spending by £782.02, and failing to pay all the expenses within 28 days. Hendron's agent was also reported personally guilty of distributing election material without the name and address of the printer and publisher. The Judges granted both Hendron and his agent relief from their findings, on the grounds that the law had been broken through inadvertence; they therefore certified that Hendron had been duly elected.
In the mid-1990s the Boundary Commission originally suggested removing the Shankill wards from the constituency and replacing them with about half of the Belfast South constituency namely the 6 wards of the Balmoral Electoral Area and the Shaftesbury ward, effectively transforming the seat into a Belfast South West constituency.
The subsequent local enquiries were bitterly contested with the SDLP favouring the commission's original proposals which would add an area where Sinn Féin had little support (and aside from the Shaftesbury ward, had not contested in council elections), while Sinn Féin argued instead for adding the mostly republican Twinbrook and Poleglass estates (where they were outpolling the SDLP in council elections by a margin of 3 to 1). With all parties except the SDLP supporting an option of retaining four seats in Belfast the latter option became the commissions final proposals and the Shankill wards remained in the constituency.
The boundary changes, coupled with the IRA ceasefire, meant that support for Sinn Féin in the constituency soared to new levels and in all elections held in the seat since 1996 they have taken over 50% of the vote. In 1997 Adams regained the seat and held it in 2001, 2005 and 2010. In 2011, Adams decided to stand in the 2011 Republic of Ireland general election and vacated his seat.
In the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, the constituency voted remain by 74.1%.

## Members of Parliament

The Member of Parliament since a 2011 by-election is Paul Maskey of Sinn Féin, who succeeded Gerry Adams, the party president. Adams previously held the seat from 1983 to 1992 when he lost it to Joe Hendron of the Social Democratic and Labour Party but regained it in 1997.
In November 2010, Adams announced his intention to contest the imminent election in the Republic of Ireland. Although the Disqualifications Act 2000 permits MPs to sit in Dáil Éireann, he submitted a letter of resignation to the Speaker in January 2011. However, the prescribed procedure for vacating a parliamentary seat involves applying for the post of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, which he had "no intention" of doing. Thus he was still considered to hold the seat. On 26 January, HM Treasury announced that Adams had been appointed as Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, claimed that Adams had applied for the appointment, but this was later clarified to state that he had not requested the appointment. Adams stated the Prime Minister's private secretary had apologised to him for making the announcement that Adams had 'accepted' the position, when in fact Adams' resignation letter was taken to be a request to be so appointed, whatever his own wishes.
| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | James Horner Haslett | Conservative |
| | 1886 | Thomas Sexton | Irish Parliamentary |
| | 1890 | Thomas Sexton | Irish National Federation |
| | 1892 | H. O. Arnold-Forster | Liberal Unionist |
| | 1906 | Joseph Devlin | Irish Parliamentary |
| 1918 | 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |
| 1922 | 1922 | constituency recreated | constituency recreated |
| | 1922 | Robert Lynn | Ulster Unionist |
| | 1929 | W. E. D. Allen | Ulster Unionist |
| | 1931 | W. E. D. Allen | New Party |
| | 1931 | Alexander Browne | Ulster Unionist |
| | 1943 by-election | Jack Beattie | Labour (NI) |
| | 1943 | Jack Beattie | Independent Labour |
| | 1945 | Jack Beattie | Federation of Labour |
| | 1949 | Jack Beattie | Irish Labour |
| | 1950 | James MacManaway | Ulster Unionist |
| | 1950 by-election | Thomas Teevan | Ulster Unionist |
| | 1951 | Jack Beattie | Irish Labour |
| | 1955 | Patricia McLaughlin | Ulster Unionist |
| | 1964 | James Kilfedder | Ulster Unionist |
| | 1966 | Gerry Fitt | Republican Labour |
| | 1970 | Gerry Fitt | Social Democratic and Labour |
| | 1979 | Gerry Fitt | Independent |
| | 1983 | Gerry Adams | Sinn Féin |
| | 1992 | Joe Hendron | Social Democratic and Labour |
| | 1997 | Gerry Adams | Sinn Féin |
| | 2011 by-election | Paul Maskey | Sinn Féin |

## Election results
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Paul Maskey | 21,009 | 52.9 | +4.4 |
| | People Before Profit | Gerry Carroll | 5,048 | 12.7 | −1.4 |
| | SDLP | Paul Doherty | 4,318 | 10.9 | +3.5 |
| | DUP | Frank McCoubrey | 4,304 | 10.8 | −7.4 |
| | TUV | Ann McClure | 2,010 | 5.1 | New |
| | Alliance | Eóin Millar | 1,077 | 2.7 | −4.4 |
| | Aontú | Gerard Herdman | 904 | 2.3 | −1.4 |
| | UUP | Ben Sharkey | 461 | 1.2 | +0.3 |
| | Green (NI) | Ash Jones | 451 | 1.1 | New |
| | Independent | Tony Mallon | 161 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,961 | 40.2 | +2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,743 | 52.7 | −6.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 75,346 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | +2.9 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Paul Maskey | 20,866 | 53.8 | −12.9 |
| | People Before Profit | Gerry Carroll | 6,194 | 16.0 | +5.8 |
| | DUP | Frank McCoubrey | 5,220 | 13.5 | +0.1 |
| | SDLP | Paul Doherty | 2,985 | 7.7 | +0.7 |
| | Alliance | Donnamarie Higgins | 1,882 | 4.9 | +3.0 |
| | Aontú | Monica Digney | 1,635 | 4.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,672 | 37.8 | −15.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,782 | 59.1 | −6.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 65,621 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | | |
This seat had the largest Sinn Féin vote share at the 2019 general election. It also saw the only increase in vote share for the DUP at the election.
General election 2017: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Paul Maskey | 27,107 | 66.7 | +12.5 |
| | DUP | Frank McCoubrey | 5,455 | 13.4 | +5.6 |
| | People Before Profit | Gerry Carroll | 4,132 | 10.2 | −9.0 |
| | SDLP | Tim Attwood | 2,860 | 7.0 | −2.8 |
| | Alliance | Sorcha Eastwood | 731 | 1.9 | +0.1 |
| | Workers' Party | Conor Campbell | 348 | 0.9 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,652 | 53.3 | +18.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,830 | 65.41 | +9.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 62,423 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | +12.5 | |
General election 2015: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Paul Maskey | 19,163 | 54.2 | −16.9 |
| | People Before Profit | Gerry Carroll | 6,798 | 19.2 | New |
| | SDLP | Alex Attwood | 3,475 | 9.8 | −6.6 |
| | DUP | Frank McCoubrey | 2,773 | 7.8 | +0.2 |
| | UUP | Bill Manwaring | 1,088 | 3.1 | 0.0 |
| | UKIP | Brian Higginson | 765 | 2.2 | New |
| | Alliance | Gerard Catney | 636 | 1.8 | −0.1 |
| | Workers' Party | John Lowry | 597 | 1.7 | New |
| | NI Conservatives | Paul Shea | 34 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,365 | 35.0 | −19.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,329 | 56.3 | +2.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 62,697 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | −14.0 | |
2011 Belfast West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Paul Maskey | 16,211 | 70.6 | −0.5 |
| | SDLP | Alex Attwood | 3,088 | 13.5 | −2.9 |
| | People Before Profit | Gerry Carroll | 1,751 | 7.6 | New |
| | DUP | Brian Kingston | 1,393 | 6.1 | −1.5 |
| | UUP | Bill Manwaring | 386 | 1.7 | −1.4 |
| | Alliance | Aaron McIntyre | 122 | 0.5 | −1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,123 | 57.1 | +2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,951 | 37.5 | −16.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 61,441 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | +1.2 | |
General election 2010: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Gerry Adams | 22,840 | 71.1 | +2.5 |
| | SDLP | Alex Attwood | 5,261 | 16.4 | +0.3 |
| | DUP | William Humphrey | 2,436 | 7.6 | −3.3 |
| | UCU-NF | Bill Manwaring | 1,000 | 3.1 | +0.6 |
| | Alliance | Máire Hendron | 596 | 1.9 | +1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,579 | 54.7 | −1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,133 | 54.0 | −13.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 59,522 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | +1.1 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Gerry Adams | 24,348 | 70.5 | +4.4 |
| | SDLP | Alex Attwood | 5,033 | 14.6 | −4.3 |
| | DUP | Diane Dodds | 3,652 | 10.6 | +4.2 |
| | UUP | Chris McGimpsey | 779 | 2.3 | −3.9 |
| | Workers' Party | John Lowry | 432 | 1.3 | −0.5 |
| | Rainbow Dream Ticket | Lynda Gilby | 154 | 0.4 | +0.2 |
| | Independent | Liam Kennedy | 147 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,315 | 55.9 | +8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,545 | 64.2 | −4.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 53,536 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | +4.4 | |
General election 2001: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Gerry Adams | 27,096 | 66.1 | +10.2 |
| | SDLP | Alex Attwood | 7,754 | 18.9 | −19.8 |
| | DUP | Eric Smyth | 2,641 | 6.4 | New |
| | UUP | Chris McGimpsey | 2,541 | 6.2 | +2.8 |
| | Workers' Party | John Lowry | 736 | 1.8 | +0.2 |
| | Third Way | David Kerr | 116 | 0.3 | New |
| | Rainbow Dream Ticket | Rainbow George Weiss | 98 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,342 | 47.2 | +30.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,982 | 68.7 | −5.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 59,617 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | +15.0 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Gerry Adams | 25,662 | 55.9 | +13.9 |
| | SDLP | Joe Hendron | 17,753 | 38.7 | −5.5 |
| | UUP | Frederick Parkinson | 1,556 | 3.4 | −8.2 |
| | Workers' Party | John Lowry | 721 | 1.6 | −0.3 |
| | Human Rights | Liam Kennedy | 102 | 0.2 | New |
| | Natural Law | Mary Daly | 91 | 0.2 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,909 | 17.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,885 | 74.3 | +1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 61,785 | | |
| | Sinn Féin gain from SDLP | Sinn Féin gain from SDLP | Swing | −9.7 | |
1997 Changes are compared to the 1992 notional results shown below.
Notional 1992 UK General Election Result : Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | N/A | 20,045 | 44.2 | N/A |
| | Sinn Féin | N/A | 19,027 | 42.0 | N/A |
| | UUP | N/A | 5,275 | 11.6 | N/A |
| | Others | N/A | 975 | 2.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,018 | 2.2 | N/A |
General election 1992: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | Joe Hendron | 17,415 | 43.6 | +7.9 |
| | Sinn Féin | Gerry Adams | 16,826 | 42.1 | +1.0 |
| | UUP | Fred Cobain | 4,766 | 11.9 | −6.8 |
| | Workers' Party | John Lowry | 750 | 1.9 | −2.5 |
| | Natural Law | Michael Francis Kennedy | 213 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 589 | 1.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,545 | 73.2 | +4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 54,644 | | |
| | SDLP gain from Sinn Féin | SDLP gain from Sinn Féin | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Gerry Adams | 16,862 | 41.1 | +4.2 |
| | SDLP | Joe Hendron | 14,641 | 35.7 | +11.1 |
| | UUP | Frank Millar | 7,646 | 18.7 | +13.2 |
| | Workers' Party | Mary McMahon | 1,819 | 4.4 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,221 | 5.4 | −6.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,968 | 69.1 | −5.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 59,324 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Gerry Adams | 16,379 | 36.9 | New |
| | SDLP | Joe Hendron | 10,934 | 24.6 | −14.4 |
| | Independent Socialist | Gerry Fitt | 10,326 | 23.3 | −26.2 |
| | UUP | Thomas Passmore | 2,435 | 5.5 | −19.0 |
| | DUP | George Albert Haffey | 2,399 | 5.4 | −5.8 |
| | Workers' Party | Mary McMahon | 1,893 | 4.3 | −2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,445 | 12.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,366 | 74.3 | +13.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 59,675 | | |
| | Sinn Féin gain from SDLP | Sinn Féin gain from SDLP | Swing | | |
Following the 1979 election, Fitt became increasingly at odds with the SDLP and left it, continuing to sit as an independent socialist.

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | Gerry Fitt | 16,480 | 49.5 | +0.5 |
| | UUP | Thomas Passmore | 8,245 | 24.8 | New |
| | DUP | Billy Dickson | 3,716 | 11.2 | −25.3 |
| | Republican Clubs | Brian Brennan | 2,284 | 6.9 | −1.1 |
| | Alliance | John Cousins | 2,024 | 6.1 | New |
| | NI Labour | Derek O'Brien Peters | 540 | 1.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,235 | 24.7 | +12.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,289 | 56.5 | −10.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 58,884 | | |
| | SDLP hold | SDLP hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | Gerry Fitt | 21,821 | 49.0 | +8.0 |
| | DUP | John McQuade | 16,265 | 36.5 | 0.0 |
| | Republican Clubs | Kitty O'Kane | 3,547 | 8.0 | +1.5 |
| | Volunteer Political Party | Ken Gibson | 2,690 | 6.0 | New |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Peter Donal Patrick Kerins | 203 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,556 | 12.5 | +8.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,526 | 67.2 | −4.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,279 | | |
| | SDLP hold | SDLP hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDLP | Gerry Fitt | 19,554 | 41.0 | |
| | DUP | John McQuade | 17,374 | 36.5 | |
| | Ind. Republican | Albert Price | 5,662 | 11.9 | |
| | Republican Clubs | John Brady | 3,088 | 6.5 | |
| | NI Labour | Billy Boyd | 1,989 | 4.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,180 | 4.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,667 | 71.5 | −13.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,639 | | |
| | SDLP gain from Republican Labour | SDLP gain from Republican Labour | Swing | | |
After the 1970 election Fitt left the Republican Labour Party to co-found the Social Democratic & Labour Party. The remains of Republican Labour had disintegrated by 1974.
General election 1970: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican Labour | Gerry Fitt | 30,649 | 52.8 | +0.8 |
| | UUP | Brian McRoberts | 27,451 | 47.3 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,198 | 5.5 | +1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,100 | 84.5 | +9.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 68,665 | | |
| | Republican Labour hold | Republican Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican Labour | Gerry Fitt | 26,292 | 52.0 | +23.7 |
| | UUP | James Kilfedder | 24,281 | 48.0 | +6.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,011 | 4.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,573 | 74.8 | +0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 67,588 | | |
| | Republican Labour gain from UUP | Republican Labour gain from UUP | Swing | | |
General election 1964: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | James Kilfedder | 21,337 | 41.2 | −12.9 |
| | Republican Labour | Harry Diamond | 14,678 | 28.3 | New |
| | NI Labour | Billy Boyd | 12,579 | 24.3 | New |
| | Ind. Republican | Billy McMillen | 3,256 | 6.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,659 | 12.9 | −3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,850 | 74.7 | +2.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 69,399 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Patricia McLaughlin | 28,898 | 54.1 | −4.2 |
| | Ind. Labour Group | John Joseph Brennan | 20,062 | 37.6 | New |
| | Sinn Féin | Thomas Heenan | 4,416 | 8.3 | −6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,836 | 16.5 | −14.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,376 | 72.7 | −2.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 73,405 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Patricia McLaughlin | 34,191 | 58.3 | +8.3 |
| | Irish Labour | Jack Beattie | 20,062 | 27.4 | −22.6 |
| | Sinn Féin | Eamonn Boyce | 8,447 | 14.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,141 | 30.9 | +30.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,700 | 74.7 | −9.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 78,589 | | |
| | UUP gain from Irish Labour | UUP gain from Irish Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Labour | Jack Beattie | 33,174 | 50.0 | +3.7 |
| | UUP | Thomas Teevan | 33,149 | 50.0 | −1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 25 | 0.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66,323 | 84.1 | +0.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 78,828 | | |
| | Irish Labour gain from UUP | Irish Labour gain from UUP | Swing | | |
1950 Belfast West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Thomas Teevan | 31,796 | 50.8 | −0.7 |
| | Irish Labour | Jack Beattie | 30,833 | 49.2 | +2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 913 | 1.4 | −3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,629 | 79.8 | −3.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 78,459 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1950: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | James Godfrey MacManaway | 33,917 | 51.5 | +5.0 |
| | Irish Labour | Jack Beattie | 30,539 | 46.3 | −7.2 |
| | Sinn Féin | Jimmy Steele | 1,482 | 2.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,378 | 5.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 65,938 | 83.6 | +10.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 78,896 | | |
| | UUP gain from Independent Labour | UUP gain from Independent Labour | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent Labour | Jack Beattie | 30,787 | 53.5 | New |
| | UUP | Knox Cunningham | 26,729 | 46.5 | −16.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,058 | 7.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,516 | 73.1 | +5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 78,674 | | |
| | Independent Labour gain from NI Labour | Independent Labour gain from NI Labour | Swing | | |
Belfast West by-election, 1943 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | NI Labour | Jack Beattie | 19,936 | 46.2 | New |
| | UUP | Knox Cunningham | 14,426 | 33.4 | −29.2 |
| | Ind. Unionist Party | William McConnell Wilton | 7,551 | 17.5 | New |
| | Ind. Republican | Hugh Corvin | 1,250 | 2.9 | −34.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,510 | 12.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,163 | 54.8 | −13.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 78,763 | | |
| | NI Labour gain from UUP | NI Labour gain from UUP | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Alexander Browne | 34,060 | 62.6 | +4.0 |
| | Ind. Republican | Charles Leddy | 20,313 | 37.4 | −4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,747 | 25.2 | +8.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,373 | 68.0 | −0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 79,902 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Alexander Browne | 31,113 | 58.6 | +0.7 |
| | Nationalist | Thomas Joseph Campbell | 22,006 | 41.4 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,107 | 17.2 | +1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,119 | 68.1 | −5.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 77,993 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
Note: The sitting MP, W.E.D. Allen, had joined the New Party earlier in 1931 but did not contest the seat at the general election.

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | William Edward David Allen | 33,274 | 57.9 | +3.4 |
| | Nationalist | Frank C.J. MacDermot | 24,177 | 42.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,097 | 15.8 | +1.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,451 | 73.9 | −5.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 77,721 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1924: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Robert John Lynn | 28,435 | 54.5 | +1.6 |
| | NI Labour | Harry Midgley | 21,122 | 40.4 | −3.7 |
| | Sinn Féin | Patrick Nash | 2,688 | 5.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,313 | 14.1 | +8.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,245 | 79.1 | +8.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,010 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Robert John Lynn | 24,975 | 52.9 | N/A |
| | Belfast Labour | Harry Midgley | 22,255 | 47.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,720 | 5.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,230 | 70.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 67,161 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1922: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | Robert John Lynn | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1910s

December 1910 general election: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Joseph Devlin | 4,543 | 52.7 | −0.2 |
| | Irish Unionist | John Boyd Carpenter | 4,080 | 47.3 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 463 | 5.4 | −1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,623 | 93.4 | −1.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | | |
January 1910 general election: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Joseph Devlin | 4,651 | 52.9 | +3.7 |
| | Irish Unionist | John Boyd Carpenter | 4,064 | 46.2 | −2.8 |
| | Ind. Nationalist | Patrick J. Magee | 75 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 587 | 6.7 | +6.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,790 | 95.2 | +0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary hold | Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1900s

1906 general election: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Joseph Devlin | 4,138 | 49.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal Unionist | J. R. Smiley | 4,122 | 49.0 | N/A |
| | Independent Liberal Unionist | Alexander Carlisle | 153 | 1.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,413 | 94.6 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,891 | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary gain from Liberal Unionist | Irish Parliamentary gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | N/A | |
1903 Belfast West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | H. O. Arnold-Forster | 3,912 | 51.6 | N/A |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Patrick Dempsey | 3,671 | 48.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 241 | 3.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,583 | 88.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,617 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
1900 general election: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | H. O. Arnold-Forster | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold |

### Elections in the 1890s

1895 general election: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | H. O. Arnold-Forster | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold |
1892 general election: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | H. O. Arnold-Forster | 4,266 | 55.5 | +6.2 |
| | Irish National Federation | Thomas Sexton | 3,427 | 44.5 | −6.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 839 | 11.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,693 | 92.3 | −0.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,334 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Irish Parliamentary | Liberal Unionist gain from Irish Parliamentary | Swing | +6.2 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

1886 general election: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Thomas Sexton | 3,832 | 50.7 | +0.9 |
| | Irish Conservative | James Horner Haslett | 3,729 | 49.3 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 103 | 1.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,561 | 93.0 | +0.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,131 | | |
| | Irish Parliamentary gain from Irish Conservative | Irish Parliamentary gain from Irish Conservative | Swing | +0.9 | |
1885 general election: Belfast West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Conservative | James Horner Haslett | 3,780 | 50.2 | |
| | Irish Parliamentary | Thomas Sexton | 3,743 | 49.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37 | 0.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,523 | 92.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,131 | | |
| | Irish Conservative win (new seat) | Irish Conservative win (new seat) | Irish Conservative win (new seat) | Irish Conservative win (new seat) | Irish Conservative win (new seat) |