Leeds South (UK Parliament constituency)

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Leeds South
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
County 1885–1974: West Riding of Yorkshire
1974–1983: West Yorkshire
1885–1983
Number of members One
Replaced by Morley and Leeds South
Created from Leeds

Leeds South was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, 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 1983 general election. It was then largely replaced by the new Morley and Leeds South constituency.

It was the seat of the former Leader of the Labour Party, the late Hugh Gaitskell, and the former Home Secretary Merlyn Rees.

Boundaries

1885-1918: The Municipal Borough of Leeds wards of East Hunslet, South, and West Hunslet, and part of Bramley ward.

1918-1950: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Holbeck and West Hunslet, and part of New Wortley ward.

1950-1955: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck South, Hunslet Carr and Middleton, and West Hunslet.

1955-1974: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck, Hunslet Carr, and Middleton.

1974-1983: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, East Hunslet, Holbeck, Middleton, and West Hunslet.

History

The constituency was created in 1885 by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was first used in the general election of that year. Leeds had previously been represented by two MPs (1832–1868) and three MPs (1868–1885). From 1885 it was represented by five single-member constituencies: Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North, Leeds South and Leeds West. The constituencies of Morley, Otley and Pudsey were also created in 1885.

The constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election. It was then largely replaced by the new Morley and Leeds South constituency. After the 1983 general election Leeds was represented by the constituencies of Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North East, Leeds North West, Leeds West and Morley and Leeds South. There were also constituencies of Elmet (created 1983) and Pudsey.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1885 Sir Lyon Playfair Liberal
1892 by-election Sir John Lawson Walton Liberal
1908 by-election William Middlebrook Coalition Liberal
1922 Henry Charleton Labour
1931 Noel Whiteside Conservative
1935 Henry Charleton Labour
1945 Hugh Gaitskell Labour
1963 by-election Merlyn Rees Labour
1983 constituency abolished

Election Results

Election in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Merlyn Rees 22,388 65.02
Conservative R. Ratcliffe 8,058 23.40
Liberal F. Hurst 3,568 10.36
National Front B. Spink 416 1.21
Majority 14,330 41.62
Turnout 68.70
Labour hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Merlyn Rees 21,653 64.44
Conservative T. Stow 6,388 19.01
Liberal J. Adams 5,563 16.55
Majority 15,265 45.43
Turnout 63.76
Labour hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Merlyn Rees 21,365 55.24
Liberal D. Pedder 9,505 24.57
Conservative P.D. Harmer 7,810 20.19
Majority 11,860 30.66
Turnout 73.95
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1970: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Merlyn Rees 19,536 59.82
Conservative G.K. Macpherson 9,311 28.51
Liberal S. Cooksey 3,810 11.67
Majority 10,225 31.31
Turnout 65.95
Labour hold Swing

Election in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Merlyn Rees 23,171 68.76
Conservative P.A. Woodward 9,813 29.12
Communist Bert Ramelson 714 2.12
Majority 13,358 39.63
Turnout 68.11
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1964: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Merlyn Rees 22,339
Conservative P.A. Woodward 12,123 34.26
Communist Bert Ramelson 928 2.62
Majority 10,997 19.14
Turnout 72.00
Labour hold Swing
Leeds South by-election, 1963
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Merlyn Rees 18,785 62.9
Conservative J. Udal 5,996 20.1
Liberal B. Walsh 4,399 14.7
Communist Bert Ramelson 670 2.2
Majority 12,789
Turnout
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Gaitskell 24,442 58.56
Conservative J.F.W. Addey 12,956 31.04
Liberal J.B. Meeks 4,340 10.40
Majority 11,486 27.52
Turnout 79.02
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1955: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Gaitskell 25,833 65.15
Conservative W.D. Brown 13,817 34.85
Majority 12,016 30.31
Turnout 72.85
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1951: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Gaitskell 30,712 65.06
Conservative W.D. Brown 16,493 34.94
Majority 14,219 30.12
Turnout 82.19
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1950: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Gaitskell 29,795 61.11
Conservative B.H. Wood 14,436 29.61
Liberal Edgar Meeks 4,525 9.28
Majority 15,359 31.50
Turnout 84.61
Labour hold Swing

Election in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Todd Naylor Gaitskell 17,899 61.03
Conservative Arthur Maxwell Ramsden 7,497 25.56
Liberal William Barford 3,933 13.41
Majority 10,402 35.47
Turnout 75.95
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s

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 by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

General Election 1935: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Henry Charleton 15,223 46.03
Conservative Noel Whiteside 14,207 42.96
Social Credit W. Townend 3,642 11.01
Majority 1,016 3.07
Turnout 73.68
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General Election 1931: Leeds South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Noel Whiteside 14,881 42.12
Labour Henry Charleton 14,156 40.07
Liberal F. Boult 6,291 17.81
Majority 725 2.05
Turnout 77.56
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1929: Leeds South [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Henry Charles Charleton 18,043 52.5
Unionist B.T. Graham Ford 9,433 27.4
Liberal E.K. Scott 6,884 20.0
Majority 8,610 25.1
Turnout 34,360
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1923: Leeds South [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Henry Charles Charleton 11,705 44.2 -9.5
Unionist Reginald James Neville Neville 7,679 29.0 n/a
Liberal Charles Granville Gibson 7,083 26.8 -19.5
Majority 4,026 15.3 +7.9
Turnout 74.1 +4.3
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1910s

File:William Middlebrook.jpg
Middlebrook
General Election 14 December 1918:
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir William Middlebrook 10,609
Labour Frank Fountain 5,510
Independent James A Brook 1,377
Majority 5,099
Turnout
Liberal hold Swing
General Election December 1910:
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Middlebrook 6,064
Conservative William Nicholson 3,804
Labour John Badlay 2,706
Majority 2,260
Turnout
Liberal hold Swing
General Election January 1910:
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Middlebrook
Conservative William Nicholson
Majority
Turnout
Liberal hold Swing

Elections in the 1900s

Leeds South by-election, 1908
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Middlebrook 5,274 41.7
Conservative Reginald Neville 4,915 38.9
Labour Albert E. Fox 2,451 19.4
Majority 359 2.8
Turnout 82.5
Liberal hold Swing

References

  1. ↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 31 March 1939
  2. ↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 31 March 1939
  3. ↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 6 June 1939
  4. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  5. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Constituency represented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
1950–1951		 Succeeded by
Saffron Walden
Preceded by Constituency represented by the Leader of the Opposition
1955–1963		 Succeeded by
Belper
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