Liverpool Edge Hill (UK Parliament constituency)
# Liverpool Edge Hill (UK Parliament constituency)

Liverpool Edge Hill was a borough constituency within the city and metropolitan borough of Liverpool, in the English county of Merseyside, centred on Edge Hill. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.

The constituency was created in 1918 and abolished in 1983.

## History

There were two by-elections in Liverpool Edge Hill, following the deaths of its incumbent Members of Parliament. At the 1947 by-election, Labour held the seat with a reduced majority, but the 1979 by-election saw a large swing against Labour who lost the seat to the Liberal David Alton — a defeat which foreshadowed Labour's national loss in the 1979 general election.

When the constituency disappeared for the 1983 general election, 59.85% of its territory was transferred to the new constituency of Liverpool Mossley Hill, where David Alton was re-elected. The remaining 40.15% of the seat fell into Liverpool Broadgreen, which was won by the Labour left-winger Terry Fields.

Michael Howard, later leader of the Conservative Party, was twice a candidate in the constituency, in the general elections of 1966 and 1970.

## Boundaries

1918–1950: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Edge Hill and Low Hill, and part of Kensington ward.

1950–1955: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Edge Hill, Fairfield, Kensington, and Low Hill.

1955–1974: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Fairfield, Kensington, Picton, and Smithdown.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Liverpool wards of Fairfield, Kensington, Low Hill, Picton, and Smithdown.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1918 | William Watson Rutherford | Conservative |
| | 1923 by-election | John Henry Hayes | Labour |
| | 1931 | Sir Hugo Rutherford, Bt | Conservative |
| | 1935 | Alexander Critchley | Conservative |
| | 1945 | Richard Clitherow | Labour |
| | 1947 by-election | Arthur Irvine | Labour |
| | 1979 by-election | David Alton | Liberal |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results

### Election in the 1910s

1918 general election: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| C | Unionist | William Rutherford | 9,832 | 63.8 | |
| | Labour | Peter Tevenan | 5,587 | 36.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,245 | 27.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,419 | 50.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 30,683 | | |
| | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

1922 general election: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Unionist | William Rutherford | 14,186 | 59.8 | −4.0 |
| | Labour | Jack Hayes | 9,520 | 40.2 | +4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,666 | 19.6 | −8.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,706 | 70.5 | +20.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 33,634 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −4.0 | |

1923 Liverpool Edge Hill by-election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Jack Hayes | 10,300 | 52.7 | +12.5 |
| | Unionist | John Waller Hills | 9,250 | 47.3 | −12.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,050 | 5.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,550 | 58.1 | −12.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 33,634 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +12.5 | |

1923 general election: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Jack Hayes | 13,538 | 56.9 | +16.7 |
| | Unionist | Oliver Stanley | 10,249 | 43.1 | −16.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,289 | 13.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,787 | 69.9 | −0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,021 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +16.7 | |

1924 general election: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Jack Hayes | 14,168 | 53.0 | −3.9 |
| | Unionist | D.C. Williams | 12,587 | 47.0 | +3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,581 | 6.0 | −7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,755 | 78.1 | +8.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,254 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.9 | |

1929 general election: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Jack Hayes | 17,650 | 55.4 | +2.4 |
| | Unionist | Hugo Rutherford | 11,622 | 36.5 | −10.5 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Donald Dennis | 2,581 | 8.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,028 | 18.9 | +12.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,853 | 74.9 | −3.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 42,516 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.5 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | Hugo Rutherford | 19,901 | 62.8 | +26.3 |
| | Labour | Jack Hayes | 11,772 | 37.2 | -17.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,129 | 25.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,673 | 74.7 | -0.2 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

General election 1935: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | Alexander Critchley | 13,882 | 50.6 | ―12.2 |
| | Labour | Jack Hayes | 13,581 | 49.5 | +12.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 301 | 1.1 | ―24.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,463 | 68.1 | ―6.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | ―12.2 | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Richard Clitherow | 13,150 | 64.9 | +15.4 |
| | Conservative | Wilfrid Clothier | 7,111 | 35.1 | ―15.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,039 | 29.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,261 | 66.3 | ―1.8 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ―15.5 | |

By-election 1947: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Arthur Irvine | 10,827 | 52.1 | ―12.8 |
| | Conservative | Reginald Bevins | 8,874 | 42.6 | +7.5 |
| | Liberal | Hubert Winthrop Young | 910 | 4.4 | New |
| | Ind. Labour Party | David Gibson | 154 | 0.7 | New |
| | Independent | Cyril Foster | 48 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,953 | 9.5 | ―20.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,813 | 62.7 | ―3.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +10.2 | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Arthur Irvine | 21,834 | 50.9 | ―14.0 |
| | Conservative | Eric Errington | 18,830 | 43.9 | +8.8 |
| | Liberal | John Bowen | 2,247 | 5.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,004 | 7.0 | ―22.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,911 | 78.3 | +12.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

General election 1951: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Arthur Irvine | 22,906 | 53.9 | +3.0 |
| | Conservative | Harold Steward | 19,569 | 46.1 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,337 | 7.8 | +0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,475 | 76.4 | ―1.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.4 | |

General election 1955: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Arthur Irvine | 20,060 | 51.4 | ―2.5 |
| | Conservative | Harry Sibson Leslie Rigg | 18,940 | 48.6 | +2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,120 | 2.8 | ―5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,000 | 68.0 | ―8.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | ―2.5 | |

General election 1959: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Arthur Irvine | 19,725 | 50.9 | ―0.6 |
| | Conservative | Joseph Norton | 19,026 | 49.1 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 699 | 1.8 | ―1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,751 | 70.7 | +2.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | ―0.6 | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Arthur Irvine | 19,221 | 59.0 | +8.1 |
| | Conservative | Neil S. Jamieson | 13,335 | 41.0 | ―8.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,886 | 18.0 | +14.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,556 | 65.6 | ―5.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.1 | |

General election 1966: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Arthur Irvine | 18,203 | 63.1 | +4.1 |
| | Conservative | Michael Howard | 10,662 | 36.9 | ―4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,541 | 26.2 | +8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,865 | 60.5 | ―5.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.1 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Arthur Irvine | 14,752 | 57.7 | ―5.4 |
| | Conservative | Michael Howard | 10,804 | 42.3 | +5.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,948 | 15.4 | ―10.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,556 | 58.7 | ―1.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | ―5.4 | |

General election February 1974: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Arthur Irvine | 12,979 | 47.9 | ―10.1 |
| | Liberal | David Alton | 7,229 | 26.7 | New |
| | Conservative | Stephen Nicholas Perry | 6,871 | 25.4 | ―16.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,557 | 18.2 | +2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,079 | 66.6 | +7.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

General election October 1974: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Arthur Irvine | 13,023 | 51.9 | +4.0 |
| | Liberal | David Alton | 6,852 | 27.3 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative | Stephen Nicholas Perry | 5,208 | 20.8 | ―4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,171 | 24.6 | +6.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,083 | 61.2 | ―5.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.7 | |

By-election 1979: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | David Alton | 12,945 | 64.1 | +36.8 |
| | Labour | Bob Wareing | 4,812 | 23.8 | ―28.1 |
| | Conservative | Charles John Nicholas Ward | 1,906 | 9.4 | ―11.3 |
| | Law and Order | Joan Jonker | 337 | 1.7 | New |
| | Socialist Unity | Ann Walker | 127 | 0.6 | New |
| | Gay Liberal | Michael Taylor | 40 | 0.2 | New |
| | Independent | Bill Boaks | 32 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,133 | 40.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,199 | 20.2 | ―41.0 |
| | Liberal gain from Labour | Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | +30.2 | |

General election 1979: Liverpool Edge Hill :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | David Alton | 12,701 | 52.0 | +24.7 |
| | Labour | Bob Wareing | 8,453 | 34.6 | ―17.3 |
| | Conservative | Charles John Nicholas Ward | 3,098 | 12.7 | ―8.1 |
| | National Front | Howard Hawksley | 152 | 0.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,248 | 17.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,404 | 69.0 | +7.8 |
| | Liberal gain from Labour | Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | +21.0 | |
