# Preston South (UK Parliament constituency)

Preston South was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Preston in Lancashire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The constituency was created by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 for the 1950 general election, and abolished for the 1983 general election. From the 1983 election onwards, the areas covered by Preston South were moved to Preston and South Ribble.

## Boundaries

1950–1964: The County Borough of Preston wards of Ashton, Avenham, Christ Church, Maudland, St. John's, St. Peters, and Trinity, and the urban district of Walton-le-Dale.
1964–1974: The County Borough of Preston wards of Ashton, Avenham, Central, St. John's, Savick, and Tulketh, and the urban district of Walton-le-Dale.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1950 | Edward Shackleton | Labour |
| 1955 | Alan Green | Conservative |
| 1964 | Peter Mahon | Labour |
| 1970 | Alan Green | Conservative |
| Feb 1974 | Stan Thorne | Labour |
| 1983 | constituency abolished: see Preston | constituency abolished: see Preston |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Preston South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Edward Shackleton | 22,716 | 50.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Neil McLean | 22,567 | 49.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 149 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,283 | 85.3 | N/A |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
General election 1951: Preston South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Edward Shackleton | 22,760 | 50.0 | ―0.2 |
| | Conservative | Neil McLean | 22,744 | 50.0 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16 | 0.0 | ―0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,504 | 86.5 | +1.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | ―0.2 | |
General election 1955: Preston South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Green | 21,497 | 50.6 | +0.6 |
| | Labour | Edward Shackleton | 21,023 | 49.4 | ―0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 474 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,520 | 81.9 | ―4.6 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +0.6 | |
General election 1959: Preston South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Green | 21,954 | 53.7 | +3.1 |
| | Labour | Tom Bradley | 18,935 | 46.3 | ―3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,019 | 7.4 | +6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,889 | 82.1 | +0.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.1 | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Preston South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Peter Mahon | 19,352 | 50.5 | +4.2 |
| | Conservative | Alan Green | 19,004 | 49.6 | ―4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 348 | 0.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,356 | 78.8 | ―3.3 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.2 | |
General election 1966: Preston South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Peter Mahon | 20,720 | 53.6 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative | Alan Green | 17,931 | 46.4 | ―3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,789 | 7.2 | +6.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,651 | 80.0 | +1.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.2 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Preston South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Green | 20,480 | 51.7 | +5.3 |
| | Labour | Peter Mahon | 19,149 | 48.3 | ―5.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,331 | 3.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,629 | 75.9 | ―4.1 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +5.3 | |
General election February 1974: Preston South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Stan Thorne | 17,354 | 42.5 | ―5.8 |
| | Conservative | Alan Green | 15,467 | 37.9 | ―13.8 |
| | Liberal | Ronald Philip Marshall | 7,974 | 19.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,887 | 4.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,795 | 79.8 | +3.9 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.0 | |
General election October 1974: Preston South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Stan Thorne | 18,449 | 46.9 | +4.4 |
| | Conservative | Alan Green | 14,700 | 37.4 | ―0.5 |
| | Liberal | Ronald Philip Marshall | 5,456 | 13.9 | ―5.7 |
| | National Front | Edward Victor Harrison | 663 | 1.7 | New |
| | More Prosperous Britain | Harold Smith | 87 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,749 | 9.5 | +4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,355 | 76.4 | ―3.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.5 | |
General election 1979: Preston South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Stan Thorne | 17,810 | 44.5 | ―2.4 |
| | Conservative | Brian Hugh Tetlow | 17,189 | 43.0 | +5.6 |
| | Liberal | Ronald Philip Marshall | 4,625 | 11.6 | ―2.3 |
| | National Front | Michael Sydney Carl Gibson | 258 | 0.7 | ―1.0 |
| | Workers Revolutionary | Victor Anthony Stephens | 116 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 621 | 1.5 | ―8.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,998 | 77.2 | +0.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | ―4.0 | |