# Edinburgh North (UK Parliament constituency)

Edinburgh North was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system.

## Boundaries

1918–1950: The Broughton, Calton, St. Andrew's and St. Stephen's wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.
1950–1955: The Broughton, Calton and St. Andrew's wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.
1955–1974: The Broughton, Calton and St. Andrew's wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh, and part of the St. Bernard's ward.
1974–1983: The Broughton, Calton, St. Andrew's and St. Bernard's wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.

## Members of Parliament

| Year | Year | Member | Party |
| | 1918 | James Avon Clyde | Unionist |
| | 1920 by-election | Patrick Ford | Unionist |
| | 1923 | Peter Raffan | Liberal |
| | 1924 | Sir Patrick Ford | Unionist |
| | 1935 | Alexander Erskine-Hill | Unionist |
| | 1945 | George Willis | Labour |
| | 1950 | James Latham Clyde | Unionist |
| | 1955 by-election | William Milligan | Unionist |
| | 1960 by-election | Lord Dalkeith | Unionist |
| | 1965 | Lord Dalkeith | Conservative |
| | 1973 by-election | Alexander Fletcher | Conservative |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Rt Hon. James Avon Clyde | 11,879 | 63.0 | |
| | Liberal | James Johnston | 6,986 | 37.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,893 | 26.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,865 | 53.0 | |
| | Unionist win | Unionist win | Unionist win | Unionist win | Unionist win |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

1920 Edinburgh North by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Patrick Johnstone Ford | 9,944 | 44.8 | −18.2 |
| | Liberal | Rt Hon. Walter Runciman | 8,469 | 38.1 | +1.1 |
| | Labour | David Graham Pole | 3,808 | 17.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,475 | 6.7 | −19.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,221 | 62.3 | +9.3 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -9.7 | |
General election 1922: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Patrick Johnstone Ford | 14,805 | 61.8 | +17.0 |
| | Liberal | P. H. Allan | 9,165 | 38.2 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,640 | 23.6 | +16.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,970 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +8.4 | |
General election 1923: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Peter Wilson Raffan | 13,744 | 55.7 | +17.5 |
| | Unionist | Patrick Johnstone Ford | 10,909 | 44.3 | −17.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,835 | 11.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,653 | 66.3 | |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +17.5 | |
General election 1924: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Patrick Johnstone Ford | 14,461 | 49.3 | +5.0 |
| | Labour | Eleanor Stewart | 8,192 | 27.9 | New |
| | Liberal | Peter Wilson Raffan | 6,669 | 22.7 | −33.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,269 | 21.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,322 | 78.0 | +11.7 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1929: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Sir Patrick Johnstone Ford | 13,993 | 39.7 | −9.6 |
| | Labour | Eleanor Stewart | 11,340 | 32.2 | +4.3 |
| | Liberal | William Mitchell | 9,877 | 28.1 | +5.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,653 | 7.5 | −13.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,210 | 73.8 | −4.2 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -6.9 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Sir Patrick Johnstone Ford | 26,361 | 75.03 | +35.3 |
| | Labour | Robert Gibson | 8,771 | 24.97 | −7.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,590 | 50.06 | +42.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,132 | 74.38 | +0.60 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 47,234 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +19.05 | |
General election 1935: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Alexander Galloway Erskine Erskine-Hill | 20,776 | 66.53 | −8.50 |
| | Labour | Gerald Walker Crawford | 8,654 | 27.71 | +2.74 |
| | Liberal | Jessie Chrystal Macmillan | 1,798 | 5.76 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,122 | 38.82 | −11.26 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,228 | 66.75 | −7.63 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 46,786 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -5.62 | |

### Elections in the 1940s

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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
* Unionist: Alexander Erskine-Hill
* Labour: Gerald Walker Crawford
General election 1945: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Eustace George Willis | 12,825 | 45.10 | +17.39 |
| | Unionist | Sir Alexander Galloway Erskine Erskine-Hill | 12,270 | 43.14 | −23.39 |
| | Liberal | Charles Hampton Johnston | 3,344 | 11.76 | +6.00 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 555 | 1.96 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,439 | 64.75 | −2.00 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 43,921 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +20.39 | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | James Latham McDiarmid Clyde | 17,826 | 51.21 | +8.07 |
| | Labour | Eustace George Willis | 13,683 | 39.31 | −5.79 |
| | Liberal | Iain Padruig Crawford | 3,303 | 9.49 | −2.27 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,143 | 11.90 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,812 | 78.71 | +13.96 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 44,226 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | +6.93 | |
General election 1951: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | James Latham McDiarmid Clyde | 20,836 | 58.79 | +7.58 |
| | Labour | Eustace George Willis | 14,604 | 41.21 | +1.90 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,232 | 17.58 | +5.68 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,440 | 80.01 | +1.30 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 44,294 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +2.84 | |
1955 Edinburgh North by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | William Rankine Milligan | 11,413 | 59.41 | +0.62 |
| | Labour | George Scott | 7,799 | 40.59 | −0.62 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,614 | 18.82 | +1.24 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,212 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | William Rankine Milligan | 20,425 | 61.73 | +2.94 |
| | Labour | George Scott | 12,664 | 38.27 | −2.94 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,761 | 23.46 | +5.88 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,089 | 72.01 | −8.00 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 45,952 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +2.94 | |
General election 1959: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | William Rankine Milligan | 19,991 | 64.02 | +2.29 |
| | Labour | George Gordon Stott | 11,235 | 35.98 | −2.29 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,756 | 28.04 | +4.59 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,226 | 73.87 | +1.86 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 42,270 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +2.29 | |

### Elections in the 1960s

1960 Edinburgh North by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Walter Francis John Montagu Douglas Scott, Lord Dalkeith | 12,109 | 54.20 | −9.82 |
| | Labour | Ronald King Murray | 6,775 | 30.32 | −5.66 |
| | Liberal | Richard McPake | 3,458 | 15.50 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,334 | 23.87 | −4.17 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,342 | 53.10 | −20.77 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -2.05 | |
General election 1964: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Walter Francis John Montagu Douglas Scott, Lord Dalkeith | 17,094 | 58.23 | −5.79 |
| | Labour | Alexander D Reid | 12,264 | 41.77 | +5.79 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,830 | 16.46 | −11.58 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,358 | 73.60 | −0.27 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 39,888 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -5.79 | |
General election 1966: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Francis John Montagu Douglas Scott, Lord Dalkeith | 13,765 | 50.30 | −7.93 |
| | Labour | Walter S Dalgleish | 10,730 | 39.21 | −2.56 |
| | Liberal | Lawrence W Oliver | 2,871 | 10.49 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,035 | 11.09 | −5.36 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,366 | 73.85 | +0.25 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 37,056 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -2.69 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Francis John Montagu Douglas Scott, Earl of Dalkeith | 13,005 | 52.85 | +2.55 |
| | Labour | Robert Finlayson Cook | 9,127 | 37.09 | −2.12 |
| | Liberal | C Alistair Dow | 2,475 | 10.06 | −0.43 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,878 | 15.76 | +4.67 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,607 | 70.05 | −3.80 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 35,128 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.34 | |
1973 Edinburgh North by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander MacPherson Fletcher | 7,208 | 38.69 | −14.16 |
| | Labour | Robert Cairns | 4,467 | 23.98 | −13.11 |
| | SNP | William Cuthbertson Wolfe | 3,526 | 19.11 | New |
| | Liberal | Ronald Guild | 3,431 | 18.42 | +8.36 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,741 | 14.71 | −1.05 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,632 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander MacPherson Fletcher | 16,417 | 45.78 | −7.07 |
| | Labour | Robert Cairns | 9,404 | 26.23 | −10.86 |
| | Liberal | Ronald Harrower Guild | 5,487 | 15.30 | +5.24 |
| | SNP | James Lynch | 4,550 | 12.69 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,013 | 19.56 | +3.80 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,858 | 76.40 | +6.35 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 46,936 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.90 | |
General election October 1974: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander MacPherson Fletcher | 12,856 | 39.34 | −6.44 |
| | Labour | Martin John O'Neill | 8,465 | 25.90 | −0.32 |
| | SNP | James Lynch | 7,681 | 23.50 | +10.82 |
| | Liberal | Murdoch MacDonald | 3,677 | 11.25 | −4.05 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,391 | 13.44 | −6.12 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,679 | 69.21 | −7.19 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 47,215 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -3.06 | |
General election 1979: Edinburgh North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander MacPherson Fletcher | 14,170 | 43.59 | +4.25 |
| | Labour | Neil Lindsay | 9,773 | 30.06 | +4.16 |
| | Liberal | Ronald Harrower Guild | 5,045 | 15.52 | +4.27 |
| | SNP | Donald Neil MacCormick | 3,521 | 10.83 | −12.67 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,397 | 13.53 | +0.09 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,509 | 71.76 | +2.55 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 45,303 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.04 | |