Bristol South East (UK Parliament constituency)

Bristol South East was a constituency[n 1] in the city of Bristol that returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.[n 2]

Bristol South East
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1950–1983
Seatsone
Created fromBristol East
Replaced byBristol East, Bristol South and Kingswood[1]

The constituency was created for the 1950 general election, mainly from the Bristol East constituency, and abolished for the 1983 general election which saw the reintroduction of Bristol East. In boundary changes for the February 1974 general election, part of the constituency's territory was transferred to the new seat of Kingswood.

Sir Stafford Cripps won the seat comfortably from holding its main predecessor in 1950 and continued in government with the new seat for just over six months (he was at the time Chancellor of the Exchequer) before resigning from Parliament due to health reasons. The final MP for the constituency was Tony Benn who served as Secretary of State (for Industry from 1974 to 1975 then as Secretary of State For Energy from 1975 to 1979), in the latter role, the UK saw the Winter of Discontent and power shortages. Benn ran in the near-overlapping successor seat, Bristol East in 1983 and was defeated by Conservative candidate Jonathan Sayeed.[n 3]

Boundaries

1950–1955: The County Borough of Bristol wards of Brislington, Hengrove, St George East, and St George West.

1955–1974: The County Borough of Bristol wards of Brislington, St George East, St George West, and Stockwood, and the Urban District of Kingswood.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Bristol wards of Brislington, Knowle, St George East, St George West, Stockwood, and Windmill Hill.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1950Sir Stafford CrippsLabour
1950 by-electionTony BennLabour
1961
(on petition)		Malcolm St ClairConservative
1963 by-electionTony BennLabour
1983 constituency abolished: see Bristol East

Elections

Elections in the 1950s
Cripps
General election 1950: Bristol South East [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Stafford Cripps 29,393 62.6
Conservative R. E. Simms 12,590 26.8
Liberal Frederick John Goudge 4,463 9.5
Communist Jack Webb[4] 524 1.1
Majority 16,803 35.8
Turnout 46,970 85.0
Labour win (new seat)
1950 Bristol South East by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 19,367 56.7 −5.9
Conservative James Lindsay 12,018 35.2 +8.4
Liberal Doreen Gorsky 2,752 8.1 −1.4
Majority 7,349 21.5 −14.3
Turnout 34,137 61.1 −23.9
Labour hold Swing −7.2
General election 1951: Bristol South East [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 30,811 65.0 +2.4
Conservative James Lindsay 16,555 35.0 +8.2
Majority 14,256 30.0 -5.8
Turnout 47,366 83.8 −1.2
Labour hold Swing −2.9
General election 1955: Bristol South East [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 25,257 59.5 −5.5
Conservative Robert Cooke 17,210 40.5 +5.5
Majority 8,047 19.0 -11.0
Turnout 42,467 77.9 −5.9
Labour hold Swing −5.5
General election 1959: Bristol South East [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 26,273 56.2 −3.3
Conservative Malcolm St Clair 20,446 43.8 +3.3
Majority 5,827 12.4 -6.6
Turnout 46,739 81.4 +3.5
Labour hold Swing −3.3

Elections in the 1960s
Bristol South East by-election 1961
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 23,275 69.5 +13.3
Conservative Malcolm St Clair 10,231 30.5 −13.3
Majority -13,044 -39.0
Turnout 33,506 56.7 −24.7
Conservative gain from Labour Swing −13.3

Tony Benn was declared ineligible to sit in the House of Commons due to his having inherited a peerage, and Malcolm St. Clair was declared elected instead.

Bristol South East by-election 1963
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 20,313 79.7 +10.2
National Fellowship Conservative Edward Martell 4,834 19.0 New
Independent M. P. Lloyd 287 1.1 New
Independent G. Pearl 44 0.2 New
Majority 15,479 60.7 +21.7
Turnout 25,478 42.2 −14.5
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General election 1964: Bristol South East[2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 29,117 60.2 +4.0
Conservative R. Stephen O'Brien 19,282 39.8 −4.0
Majority 9,835 20.4 +8.0
Turnout 48,399 77.9 −1.5
Labour hold Swing +4.0
General election 1966: Bristol South East[2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 30,851 61.4 +1.2
Conservative Christopher J.R. Pope 19,435 38.6 −1.2
Majority 11,416 22.8 +2.4
Turnout 50,286 76.2 −1.7
Labour hold Swing +1.2

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Bristol South East[2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 29,176 55.4 −6.0
Conservative Norman G. Reece 23,488 44.6 +6.0
Majority 5,688 10.8 -12.0
Turnout 52,664 72.0 −4.2
Labour hold Swing −6.0
General election February 1974: Bristol South East [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 26,540 47.0 −8.4
Conservative Norman G. Reece 18,628 33.0 −11.6
Liberal D. R. Grayson 9,870 17.5 New
National Front R.J. Bale 757 1.3 New
Social Democrat J.H. Robertson 668 1.2 New
Majority 7,912 15.0 +4.2
Turnout 56,463 81.9 +9.9
Labour hold Swing +1.6
General election October 1974: Bristol South East [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 25,978 49.1 +2.1
Conservative J.P. Godwin 16,605 31.4 −1.6
Liberal R.S. Wardle 8,987 17.0 −0.5
National Front R. J. Bale 775 1.5 +0.2
World Middle Classes Party (WMPC) R. R. Goding 457 0.9 New
Marxist-Leninist (England) P. Rowe 79 0.2 New
Majority 9,373 17.7 +2.7
Turnout 52,881 76.2 −5.7
Labour hold Swing +1.9
General election 1979: Bristol South East [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Benn 24,878 45.4 −3.7
Conservative J.P. Godwin 22,988 41.9 +10.5
Liberal N.W.H. Tatam 6,371 11.6 −5.4
National Front J.D. Dowler 523 1.0 −0.5
More Prosperous Britain Tom Keen 66 0.1 New
Majority 1,890 3.5 -14.2
Turnout 54,826 78.4 +2.2
Labour hold Swing −7.1

Notes and references
Notes
  1. A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. As with all constituencies from the 1950s the constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of elections which are held at least every five years.
  3. Tony Benn returned to the House of Commons at a by-election in 1984, elected to serve Chesterfield.
References
  1. "Parliamentary Elections for the City of Bristol, 1701-2000". University of the West of England. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  2. British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, FWS Craig
  3. The Times House of Commons, 1950-70
  4. Stevenson, Graham. "Webb Jack". Archived from the original on 17 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  5. British Parliamentary Election Results, 1974-1983, FWS Craig
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.