Dunfermline and West Fife (UK Parliament constituency)

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Coordinates: 56°03′25″N 3°25′48″W / 56.057°N 3.430°W / 56.057; -3.430

Dunfermline and West Fife
County constituency
DunfermlineWestFifeConstituency.svg
Dunfermline and West Fife shown within Scotland
Created: 2005
MP: Thomas Docherty
Party: Labour
Type: House of Commons
Council areas: Fife
EP constituency: Scotland

Dunfermline and West Fife is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2005 general election from all of the old Dunfermline West and parts of the old Dunfermline East constituencies. The current MP is Thomas Docherty of the Labour Party.

The Dunfermline and West Fife by-election was held in early 2006, due to the death of the sitting MP, Rachel Squire. Willie Rennie of the Liberal Democrats was the surprise winner, by some 1,800 votes, in what was seen as a safe Labour seat.[1] However, he lost the seat to Labour's Thomas Docherty at the 2010 general election.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries

This new seat is based on the whole of the former Dunfermline West constituency. Rosyth and Inverkeithing in the southeast are the only large population centres on the coast. To the north and west of Dunfermline is more rugged and robust Fife countryside. The whole seat is up against the Firth of Forth.

[edit] Members of Parliament

Rachel Squire (Labour) was the MP for Dunfermline West constituency from 1992 until the major revision of the composition of Scottish parliamentary constituencies for the 2005 general election. Gordon Brown was MP for the neighbouring Dunfermline East constituency from which some territory was given to Dunfermline and West Fife.

Squire won the new seat in the 2005 general election and held it until her death on 5 January 2006. The subsequent by-election was held on 9 February 2006, which Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie won in a shock defeat for Labour. The Liberal Democrats also gained the Dunfermline West Scottish Parliamentary constituency from Labour in the 2007 Holyrood Parliament elections.

In the 2010 General Election, the Labour candidate Thomas Docherty won the seat back.

Election Member [2] Party
2005 Rachel Squire Labour
2006 by-election Willie Rennie Liberal Democrat
2010 Thomas Docherty Labour

[edit] Election results

[edit] Elections in the 2010s

United Kingdom general election, 2010[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Thomas Docherty 22,639 46.3 -1.1
Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie 17,169 35.1 +14.9
SNP Joe McCall 5,201 10.6 -8.3
Conservative Belinda Hacking 3,305 6.8 -3.5
UKIP Otto Inglis 633 1.3 -0.2
Majority 5,470 11.2
Turnout 48,947 66.4 +6.5
Labour gain from Liberal Democrat Swing

[edit] Elections in the 2000s

Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie 12,391 35.8 +15.6
Labour Catherine Stihler 10,591 30.6 -16.8
SNP Douglas Chapman 7,261 21.0 +2.1
Conservative Carrie Ruxton 2,702 7.8 -2.5
Scottish Socialist John McAllion 537 1.6 -0.1
Scottish Christian George Hargreaves 411 1.2
Abolish Forth Bridge Tolls Party Tom Minogue 374 1.1
UKIP Ian Borland 208 0.6 -0.9
Common Good Dick Rodgers 103 0.3
Majority 1,800 5.2
Turnout 34,578 47.9 -12.0
Liberal Democrat gain from Labour Swing 16.5
General Election 2005: Dunfermline and Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rachel Squire 20,111 47.4 -7.1
Liberal Democrat David Herbert 8,549 20.2 +5.9
SNP Douglas Chapman 8,026 18.9 +1.1
Conservative Roger Smillie 4,376 10.3 +0.6
Scottish Socialist Susan Archibald 689 1.6 -0.8
UKIP Ian Borland 643 1.5 +0.1
Majority 11,562 27.3
Turnout 42,394 59.9 +2.3
Labour hold Swing -6.5

This constituency was formed in 2005 from all of the old Dunfermline West and parts of the old Dunfermline East constituencies.

[edit] Places in Dunfermline and West Fife constituency

[edit] Royal burghs

[edit] Small burghs and large villages

[edit] Electoral wards of Dunfermline and small, outlying villages

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4695270.stm
  2. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 4)[self-published source][better source needed]
  3. ^ Statement of Persons nominated Fife Ciouncil

[edit] See also

Constituencies in Scotland by Holding Party (59)
Labour (40)
Liberal Democrat (11)
Scottish National Party (6)
Conservative (1)
Independent (1)
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