# Islington East (UK Parliament constituency)

Islington East was a constituency which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885, until it was abolished for the February 1974 general election.

## Boundaries
### 1885–1918

The seat was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as one of four divisions of the new parliamentary borough of Islington. The parliamentary borough was coterminous with the civil parish of Islington and each of the four divisions consisted of a number of parish wards used for the election of vestrymen to the incorporated vestry, the local authority for the area.
The East Division consisted of two wards: Canonbury and Highbury.

### 1918–1974

Constituencies throughout Great Britain and Ireland were reorganised by the Representation of the People Act 1918. In London, seats were realigned to the boundaries of the metropolitan boroughs that had been created in 1900. The Metropolitan Borough of Islington was divided into four constituencies with the Islington, East seat consisting of three wards as they existed in 1918: Canonbury, Highbury and Mildmay. At the next parliamentary redistribution, prior to the 1950 general election, the seat was unchanged.
The seat was last contested at the 1970 general election. By the time of the next election in 1974, new constituencies had been drawn based on the London boroughs created in 1965. The London Borough of Islington was divided between three constituencies, with the area of the abolished East seat mostly falling in the new Islington Central constituency.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Henry Bret Ince | Liberal |
| | 1886 | Isaac Cowley Lambert | Conservative |
| | 1892 | Sir Benjamin Cohen | Conservative |
| | 1906 | Sir George Radford | Liberal |
| | 1917 by-election | Edward Smallwood | Liberal |
| | 1918 | Alfred Raper | Coalition Conservative |
| | 1922 | Austin Hudson | Conservative |
| | 1923 | Arthur Comyns Carr | Liberal |
| | 1924 | Robert Tasker | Conservative |
| | 1929 | Ethel Bentham | Labour |
| | 1931 by-election | Leah Manning | Labour |
| | 1931 | Thelma Cazalet, later Cazalet-Keir | Conservative |
| | 1945 | Sir Eric Fletcher | Labour |
| | 1970 | John Grant | Labour |
| Feb 1974 | Feb 1974 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Islington, East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Bret Ince | 3,296 | 50.3 | |
| | Conservative | Isaac Lambert | 3,262 | 49.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34 | 0.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,558 | 81.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,092 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Islington, East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Isaac Lambert | 3,732 | 61.5 | +11.8 |
| | Liberal | Henry Bret Ince | 2,336 | 38.5 | −11.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,396 | 23.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,608 | 75.0 | −6.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,092 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +11.8 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Islington, East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Benjamin Cohen | 3,975 | 53.1 | −8.4 |
| | Liberal | Percy Bunting | 3,510 | 46.9 | +8.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 465 | 6.2 | −16.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,485 | 75.8 | +0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,872 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −8.4 | |
General election 1895: Islington, East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Benjamin Cohen | 4,383 | 58.1 | +5.0 |
| | Liberal | McKinnon Wood | 3,159 | 41.9 | −5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,224 | 16.2 | +10.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,542 | 74.0 | −1.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,191 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.0 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Islington, East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Benjamin Cohen | 4,205 | 61.9 | +3.8 |
| | Liberal | Andrew Mitchell Torrance | 2,586 | 38.1 | −3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,619 | 23.8 | +7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,791 | 65.3 | −8.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,395 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.8 | |
General election 1906: Islington, East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Radford | 4,477 | 54.7 | +16.6 |
| | Conservative | Benjamin Cohen | 3,710 | 45.3 | −16.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 767 | 9.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,187 | 75.9 | +10.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,786 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +16.6 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Islington, East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Radford | 5,001 | 51.7 | −3.0 |
| | Conservative | J.H.T. Keeves | 4,671 | 48.3 | +3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 330 | 2.4 | −7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,118 | 87.0 | +11.1 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election December 1910: Islington, East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Radford | 4,503 | 50.7 | −1.0 |
| | Conservative | Philip Pilditch | 4,378 | 49.3 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 125 | 1.4 | −1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,118 | 79.9 | −7.1 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1914–15:
Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal: Edward Smallwood
* Unionist: Philip Pilditch
1917 Islington East by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Smallwood | 2,709 | 57.0 | +6.3 |
| | Independent | Alfred Baker | 1,532 | 32.2 | New |
| | National | Edmund Broughton Barnard | 513 | 10.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,177 | 24.8 | +23.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,874 | 36.9 | −43.0 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1918: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Alfred Raper | 9,352 | 48.8 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal | Edward Smallwood | 5,968 | 31.1 | −19.6 |
| | Labour | Arthur John Lewer | 3,122 | 16.3 | New |
| | National | Charles Edward Copplestone | 575 | 3.0 | N/A |
| | Independent | Frederick Alfred Wickhart | 147 | 0.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,384 | 17.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,164 | 51.7 | −28.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 37,078 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +9.6 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Austin Hudson | 11,954 | 46.1 | −2.7 |
| | Liberal | Godfrey Baring | 8,107 | 31.2 | +0.1 |
| | Labour | Ethel Bentham | 5,900 | 22.7 | +6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,847 | 14.9 | −2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,961 | 59.4 | +7.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 43,676 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −1.4 | |
General election 1923: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Arthur Comyns Carr | 10,670 | 40.1 | +8.9 |
| | Unionist | Austin Hudson | 9,038 | 33.9 | −12.2 |
| | Labour | Ethel Bentham | 6,941 | 26.0 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,632 | 6.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,649 | 60.0 | +0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 44,402 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +10.6 | |
General election 1924: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Robert Tasker | 14,174 | 44.5 | +10.6 |
| | Labour | Ethel Bentham | 10,280 | 32.3 | +6.3 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Comyns Carr | 7,406 | 23.2 | −16.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,894 | 12.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,860 | 70.8 | +10.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 44,978 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | −2.2 | |
General election 1929: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ethel Bentham | 15,199 | 38.0 | +5.7 |
| | Unionist | Robert Tasker | 13,641 | 34.1 | −10.4 |
| | Liberal | Edgar Middleton | 11,136 | 27.9 | +4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,558 | 3.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,976 | 66.4 | −4.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 60,202 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +8.1 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

Islington East by-election, 19 February 1931 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Leah Manning | 10,591 | 34.7 | −3.3 |
| | Empire Crusade | Alfred Critchley | 8,314 | 27.2 | New |
| | Conservative | Thelma Cazalet | 7,182 | 23.5 | −10.6 |
| | Liberal | Horace Crawfurd | 4,450 | 14.6 | −13.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,277 | 7.5 | +3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,537 | 50.0 | −16.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thelma Cazalet | 27,221 | 67.5 | +44.0 |
| | Labour | Leah Manning | 13,111 | 32.5 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,110 | 35.0 | +27.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,332 | 65.4 | +15.4 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +23.1 | |
General election 1935: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thelma Cazalet | 18,248 | 52.5 | −15.0 |
| | Labour | Gwyn D. Jones | 13,810 | 39.8 | +7.3 |
| | Liberal | Cyril Harry Blackburn | 2,670 | 7.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,438 | 12.7 | −22.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,728 | 57.8 | −7.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −11.2 | |
General election 1939–40
Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place, and the following candidates had been selected by the Autumn of 1939:
* Conservative: Thelma Cazalet
* Labour: H C Boyde
* Liberal: Cyril Blackburn

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Eric Fletcher | 18,936 | 65.5 | +25.7 |
| | Conservative | Thelma Cazalet-Keir | 9,960 | 34.5 | −18.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,110 | 35.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,896 | 66.2 | +8.4 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +22.4 | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Eric Fletcher | 22,477 | 55.96 |
| | Conservative | Katherine Wilmot | 14,385 | 35.82 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Herbert Coss Billson | 3,301 | 8.22 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,062 | 20.14 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,163 | 79.30 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Eric Fletcher | 23,896 | 59.9 | +3.9 |
| | Conservative | Katherine Wilmot | 16,000 | 40.1 | +4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,896 | 19.79 | −0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,896 | 78.23 | −0.97 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Eric Fletcher | 19,612 | 60.3 | +0.4 |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Finsberg | 12,910 | 39.7 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,702 | 20.61 | +0.82 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,522 | 66.06 | −12.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Eric Fletcher | 17,776 | 57.56 | −2.74 |
| | Conservative | Kenneth C Burden | 13,097 | 42.44 | +2.74 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,669 | 15.12 | −5.47 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,683 | 63.49 | −2.57 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Eric Fletcher | 14,192 | 52.48 | −5.08 |
| | Conservative | Kenneth C Burden | 7,715 | 28.53 | −13.91 |
| | Liberal | Joel Freedman | 3,081 | 11.39 | New |
| | New Liberal | Alan Ernest Lomas | 2,053 | 7.59 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,477 | 23.95 | +8.83 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,041 | 57.11 | −6.38 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Eric Fletcher | 15,009 | 57.92 | +5.44 |
| | Conservative | John B W Holderness | 7,490 | 28.90 | +0.37 |
| | Liberal | Joel Freedman | 2,288 | 8.83 | −2.56 |
| | New Liberal | Alan Ernest Lomas | 1,127 | 4.35 | −3.24 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,519 | 29.02 | +5.07 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,914 | 57.06 | +0.95 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Islington East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Grant | 13,980 | 61.75 | +3.83 |
| | Conservative | Richard Devonald-Lewis | 8,660 | 38.25 | +9.35 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,320 | 23.50 | −5.52 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,350 | 51.80 | −5.26 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |