Lanark And Hamilton East (UK Parliament Constituency)
Historically a safe Labour seat, in 2015 it was gained by the Scottish National Party when they won a record 56 of the 59 Scottish seats at Westminster, ending 51 years of Labour Party dominance at UK general elections in Scotland. Two years later, at the 2017 general election, the Conservatives surged into second place, only 266 votes behind sitting MP Angela Crawley, followed by Labour in third place, just 96 votes behind the Conservative candidate, making the seat Britain's tightest three-way marginal. The result also made it the tightest three-way marginal since 1945.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished. Subject to major boundary changes - gaining western areas of Hamilton and losing the towns of Bothwell, Uddingston and Carluke - it will be reformed as Hamilton and Clyde Valley, to be first contested at the 2024 general election.
Constituency profile
The seat covered most of Hamilton and the rural area around Lanark. Electoral Calculus described the seat as "Traditional", characterised by working class people with lower levels of income and formal education.
Boundaries
As created by the Fifth Review of the Boundary Commission for Scotland the constituency was one of six covering the Dumfries and Galloway council area, the Scottish Borders council area and the South Lanarkshire council area. The other five constituencies were: Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, Dumfries and Galloway, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, and Rutherglen and Hamilton West.
The constituency was created with the electoral wards of:
- In full: Bothwell and Uddingston, Clydesdale North, Clydesdale West, Larkhall.
- In part: Clydesdale East, Clydesdale South, Hamilton North and East, Hamilton South, Hamilton West and Earnock.
Members of Parliament
Election | Member | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Jimmy Hood | Labour | |
2015 | Angela Crawley | SNP |
Election results
Elections in the 2010s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Angela Crawley | 22,243 | 41.9 | +9.3 | |
Conservative | Shona Haslam | 17,056 | 32.1 | 0.0 | |
Labour | Andrew Hilland | 10,736 | 20.2 | -11.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Jane Pickard | 3,037 | 5.7 | +3.3 | |
Majority | 5,187 | 9.8 | +9.3 | ||
Turnout | 53,072 | 68.3 | +3.0 | ||
SNP hold | Swing | +4.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Angela Crawley | 16,444 | 32.6 | -16.2 | |
Conservative | Poppy Corbett | 16,178 | 32.1 | +16.2 | |
Labour | Andrew Hilland | 16,084 | 31.9 | +1.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Colin Robb | 1,214 | 2.4 | +0.2 | |
UKIP | Donald Mackay | 550 | 1.1 | -1.5 | |
Majority | 266 | 0.5 | -16.2 | ||
Turnout | 50,470 | 65.3 | -3.8 | ||
SNP hold | Swing | -16.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Angela Crawley | 26,976 | 48.8 | +27.8 | |
Labour | Jimmy Hood | 16,876 | 30.5 | -19.5 | |
Conservative | Alex Allison | 8,772 | 15.9 | +0.9 | |
UKIP | Donald Mackay | 1,431 | 2.6 | +1.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Gregg Cullen | 1,203 | 2.2 | -9.1 | |
Majority | 10,100 | 18.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 55,258 | 69.1 | +6.8 | ||
SNP gain from Labour | Swing | +23.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jimmy Hood | 23,258 | 50.0 | +4.0 | |
SNP | Clare Adamson | 9,780 | 21.0 | +3.2 | |
Conservative | Colin McGavigan | 6,981 | 15.0 | +2.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Douglas Herbison | 5,249 | 11.3 | −7.3 | |
Independent | Duncan McFarlane | 670 | 1.4 | +0.4 | |
UKIP | Rob Sale | 616 | 1.3 | +0.3 | |
Majority | 13,478 | 29.0 | +1.6 | ||
Turnout | 46,554 | 62.3 | +3.2 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.3 |
Elections in the 2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jimmy Hood | 20,072 | 46.0 | -4.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Fraser Grieve | 8,125 | 18.6 | +7.3 | |
SNP | John Wilson | 7,746 | 17.8 | -4.1 | |
Conservative | Robert Pettigrew | 5,576 | 12.8 | +0.3 | |
Scottish Socialist | Dennis Reilly | 802 | 1.8 | -1.3 | |
UKIP | Donald Mackay | 437 | 1.0 | +0.5 | |
Independent | Duncan McFarlane | 416 | 1.0 | New | |
Christian Vote | Robin Mawhinney | 415 | 1.0 | New | |
Majority | 11,947 | 27.4 | |||
Turnout | 43,589 | 59.1 | |||
Labour win (new seat) |