# Bethnal Green South West (UK Parliament constituency)

Bethnal Green South West was a constituency in London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
It was created for the 1885 general election and abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was combined with Bethnal Green North East to form a new Bethnal Green constituency, reflecting the area's substantial fall in population.

## Boundaries

The constituency consisted of the south and west wards of the civil parish of Bethnal Green, Middlesex (later the Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green in the County of London).
1885-1918: The South and West wards of the parish of St. Matthew, Bethnal Green.

## Members of Parliament

| Year | Year | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Edward Pickersgill | Liberal |
| | 1900 | Samuel Forde Ridley | Conservative |
| | 1906 | Edward Pickersgill | Liberal |
| | 1911 | Charles Masterman | Liberal |
| | 1914 | Sir Mathew Wilson | Unionist |
| | 1922 | Percy Harris | Liberal |
| | 1945 | Percy Holman | Labour |
| 1950 | 1950 | constituency abolished: see Bethnal Green | constituency abolished: see Bethnal Green |

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

General election 1885: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Pickersgill | 3,088 | 58.4 | |
| | Conservative | John Evans Freke Aylmer | 2,200 | 41.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 888 | 16.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,288 | 64.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,265 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Pickersgill | 2,550 | 56.0 | −2.4 |
| | Conservative | John Evans Freke Aylmer | 2,001 | 44.0 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 549 | 12.0 | −4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,551 | 55.1 | −8.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,265 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -2.4 | |

### Election in the 1890s

General election 1892: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Pickersgill | 3,206 | 59.6 | +3.6 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Benskin | 2,171 | 40.4 | −3.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,035 | 19.2 | +7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,377 | 68.8 | +13.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,821 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.6 | |
General election 1895: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Pickersgill | 2,603 | 52.8 | −6.8 |
| | Conservative | William Arnold Statham | 2,324 | 47.2 | +6.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 279 | 5.6 | −13.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,927 | 62.7 | −6.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,855 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -6.8 | |

### Election in the 1900s

General election 1900: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Samuel Ridley | 2,862 | 53.2 | +6.0 |
| | Liberal | Edward Pickersgill | 2,514 | 46.8 | −6.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 348 | 6.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,376 | 66.1 | +3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,128 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +6.0 | |
General election 1906: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Pickersgill | 3,542 | 63.2 | +16.4 |
| | Conservative | Samual Ridley | 2,064 | 36.8 | −16.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,478 | 26.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,606 | 77.2 | +11.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,262 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +16.4 | |

### Election in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Pickersgill | 3,328 | 58.6 | −4.6 |
| | Conservative | Eric Alfred Hoffgaard | 2,350 | 41.4 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 978 | 17.2 | −9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,678 | 79.9 | +1.7 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -4.6 | |
General election December 1910: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Pickersgill | 2,768 | 57.0 | −1.6 |
| | Conservative | Eric Alfred Hoffgaard | 2,086 | 43.0 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 682 | 14.0 | −3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,854 | 68.3 | −11.6 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -1.6 | |
1911 Bethnal Green South West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Charles Masterman | 2,745 | 50.4 | −6.6 |
| | Conservative | Eric Alfred Hoffgaard | 2,561 | 47.1 | +4.1 |
| | Independent Labour | John Scurr | 134 | 2.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 184 | 3.3 | −10.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,440 | 76.8 | +8.5 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -5.3 | |
1914 Bethnal Green South West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Matthew Wilson | 2,828 | 47.6 | +0.5 |
| | Liberal | Charles Masterman | 2,804 | 47.1 | −3.3 |
| | Independent Labour | John Scurr | 316 | 5.3 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24 | 0.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5.948 | 83.5 | +6.7 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +1.9 | |
General election 1918: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Matthew Wilson | 4,240 | 52.3 | +4.7 |
| | NFDDSS | Ernest Thurtle | 1,941 | 23.9 | New |
| | Liberal | Hugh Meyler | 1,935 | 23.8 | −23.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,299 | 28.4 | +27.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,116 | 41.6 | −41.9 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Election in the 1920s

General election 1922: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Percy Harris | 5,152 | 40.7 | +16.9 |
| | Communist | Joe Vaughan | 4,034 | 31.9 | New |
| | Unionist | Matthew Wilson | 3,474 | 27.4 | −24.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,118 | 8.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,129 | 59.9 | +18.3 |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Percy Harris | 5,735 | 43.3 | +2.6 |
| | Labour | Joe Vaughan | 5,251 | 39.6 | +7.7 |
| | Unionist | John Cecil Gerard Leigh | 2,267 | 17.1 | −10.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 484 | 3.7 | −5.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,320 | 62.2 | +2.3 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -2.5 | |
General election 1924: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Percy Harris | 6,236 | 42.3 | −1.0 |
| | Communist | Joe Vaughan | 6,024 | 40.9 | +1.3 |
| | Unionist | C.P. Norman | 2,467 | 16.8 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 212 | 1.4 | −2.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,522 | 68.4 | +6.2 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -1.1 | |
General election 1929: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Percy Harris | 8,109 | 45.9 | +3.6 |
| | Labour | Christopher John Kelly | 6,849 | 38.7 | New |
| | Communist | Robert Dunstan | 1,368 | 7.7 | −33.2 |
| | Unionist | Herbert John Malone | 1,365 | 7.7 | −9.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,260 | 7.2 | +5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,895 | 64.1 | −4.3 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### Election in the 1930s

General election 1931: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Percy Harris | 10,176 | 59.6 | +13.7 |
| | Labour | W.J. Humphreys | 3,923 | 23.0 | −15.7 |
| | Communist | Joe Vaughan | 2,970 | 17.4 | +9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,253 | 36.6 | +29.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,895 | 61.2 | −2.9 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +14.0 | |
General election 1935: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Percy Harris | 9,011 | 53.1 | −6.5 |
| | Labour | George Jeger | 7,945 | 46.9 | +23.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,066 | 6.2 | −30.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,484 | 61.7 | +0.5 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -15.2 | |

### Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Bethnal Green South West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Percy Holman | 6,669 | 57.3 | +10.4 |
| | Liberal | Percy Harris | 4,213 | 36.2 | −16.9 |
| | National | O. Howard Leicester | 750 | 6.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,456 | 21.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,632 | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +13.6 | |