Glasgow North East (UK Parliament constituency)

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox UK constituency main Glasgow North East is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (at Westminster). It was first contested at the 2005 general election. The current Member of Parliament (MP) is Maureen Burke of the Labour Party who gained the seat from Scottish National Party's Anne McLaughlin at the 2024 general election.

History

From the seat's creation until 2009, the constituency was represented by Michael Martin, previously MP for Glasgow Springburn from 1979. Martin was elected Speaker of the House of Commons in October 2000, but in May 2009 he announced that he would be resigning as Speaker on 21 June 2009 because of his perceived role in the MPs' expenses controversy. He was the first Speaker in 300 years to be forced out of office by a motion of no confidence. He also resigned as an MP the following day, resulting in a by-election on 12 November 2009, which was won by Willie Bain of the Labour Party with 59% of the vote.

Bain retained the seat the following year at the 2010 general election, but was defeated by Anne McLaughlin of the SNP in 2015. The seat was regained by Labour's candidate Paul Sweeney at the 2017 snap general election, only to be regained by McLaughlin at the 2019 general election.

Constituency profile

Glasgow North East is one of six constituencies covering the Glasgow City council area. All are entirely within the council area. The population of the constituency was 88,156 at the time of the 2011 UK Census. The 2005-2024 version of the seat comprises the communities of Ruchill, Hamiltonhill, Possilpark, Port Dundas, Sighthill, Lambhill, Colston, Milton, Springburn, Royston, Balornock, Barmulloch, Blackhill, Blochairn, Dennistoun, Germiston, Haghill, Carntyne, Robroyston, Provanmill, Riddrie, Hogganfield, Wallacewell, Millerston and Ruchazie.

Voting pattern

Glasgow North East and its predecessor constituencies had been represented by MPs from the Labour Party with large majorities for eighty years from the 1935 general election until the 2015 general election, when the seat was gained by the SNP during their landslide victory; which ended 51 years of dominance by Scottish Labour. The change at Glasgow North East was the largest swing recorded at the general election that year of 39.3% from Labour to SNP. At the following snap election, held just two years later, the seat was regained on a 12% swing by the Labour and Co-operative candidate Paul Sweeney with a narrow majority of 242 votes (0.7%). However, the SNP regained the seat with a marginal majority of 7% in 2019.

According to the British Election Study, it is the most left-wing seat in the country.

It had the lowest turnout of any constituency at the 2017 general election.

Boundaries

2005–2024

Prior to the 2005 general election, the city area was covered by ten constituencies, two of which straddled the boundaries of other council areas. The North East constituency includes most of the former Glasgow Springburn constituency and a small part of the former Glasgow Maryhill constituency.

The constituency partially overlaps with two Scottish Parliament seats: Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn and Glasgow Provan.

Under the Fifth Review of UK Parliament constituencies which came into effect for the 2005 general election, the boundaries were defined in accordance with the ward structure in place on 30 November 2004 as containing the Glasgow City Council wards of Milton, Ashfield, Keppochhill, Royston, Cowlairs, Springburn, Wallacewell, Milnbank, Dennistoun, Carntyne, Robroyston and Gartcraig. Further to reviews of local government ward boundaries which came into effect in 2007 and 2017, but did not affect the parliamentary boundaries, the constituency comprised the City of Glasgow Council wards or part wards of: Calton (small part), Canal (majority), Springburn/Robroyston, East Centre (minority), North East (minority), and Dennistoun.

2024–present

Template:Maplink Further to the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election the constituency boundaries were significantly re-drawn to take in areas of Glasgow East to the north of the main east-west railway, including the districts of Queenslie, Greenfield, Barlanark, Garthamlock and Easterhouse. To compensate, western areas, including Milton, Cowlairs and Port Dundas, were transferred to Glasgow North.

The constituency currently consists of the following wards or part wards of the City of Glasgow:

• A small part of Calton ward - comprising the strip between the main east-west railway and Duke Street;
• a small part of Anderston/City/Yorkhill ward around Townhead;
• a very small part of Canal ward;
• the whole of Springburn/Robroyston ward;
• the whole of East Centre ward;
• a small part of Baillieston ward - comprising the area between the main east-west railway and the M8;
• the whole of North East ward; and
• the whole of Dennistoun ward.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party	Notes
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2005	Michael Martin	Speaker	Previously MP for Glasgow Springburn from 1979. Resigned the Speakership and from Parliament in 2009
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2009 by-election	Willie Bain	Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2015	Anne McLaughlin	SNP
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2017	Paul Sweeney	Labour Co-op
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2019	Anne McLaughlin	SNP
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2024	Maureen Burke	Labour

Election results

Elections in the 2020s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party linkTemplate:Election box registered electors

General election 2024: Glasgow North East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Anne McLaughlin	11,002	32.3
		Ewan Lewis	2,471	7.2
		Jonathan Walmsley	2,272	6.7
		Robert Henry Connelly	1,182	3.5
		Sheila Thomson	592	1.7
		Catherine McKernan	551	1.6
		Chris Sermanni	236	0.7
		Gary Steele	146	0.4
Majority			4,637	13.6
Turnout			34,091	47.1
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:If empty" |	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+11.85

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result Template:Efn
Party		Vote	%
Template:Party color cell	Scottish National Party	20,375	47.7
Template:Party color cell	Labour	16,098	37.7
Template:Party color cell	Conservative	4,686	11.0
Template:Party color cell	Liberal Democrats	1,449	3.4
Template:Party color cell	Scottish Greens	65	0.2
Majority		4,277	10.0
Turnout		42,673	56.7
Electorate		75,236

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2019: Glasgow North East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Paul Sweeney	13,363	39.4
		Lauren Bennie	3,558	10.5
		Nicolas Moohan	1,093	3.2
Majority			2,548	7.5
Turnout			33,925	55.5
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:If empty" |	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+4.1

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2017: Glasgow North East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Anne McLaughlin	13,395	42.2
		Jack Wylie	4,106	12.9
		Daniel Donaldson	637	2.0
Majority			242	0.7
Turnout			31,775	53.0
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:If empty" |	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+12.6

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2015: Glasgow North East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Willie Bain	12,754	33.7
		Annie Wells	1,769	4.7
		Zara Kitson	615	1.6
		Eileen Baxendale	300	0.8
		Geoff Johnson	225	0.6
		Jamie Cocozza	218	0.6
Majority			9,222	24.4
Turnout			37,857	56.8
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:If empty" |	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+39.31

This was the largest swing of any UK constituency in the 2015 election.

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2010: Glasgow North East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Billy McAllister	4,158	14.1
		Eileen Baxendale	2,262	7.7
		Ruth Davidson	1,569	5.3
		Walter Hamilton	798	2.7
		Graham Campbell	187	0.6
		Kevin McVey	179	0.6
		Jim Berrington	156	0.5
Majority			15,942	54.2
Turnout			29,409	49.1
	hold		Swing	+7.4

Elections in the 2000s

A by-election was held in November 2009, caused by the resignation of former Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin. Labour won fairly comfortably, compared to the surprising SNP win in the neighbouring constituency of Glasgow East in the previous year. The turnout was the lowest in Scottish history.

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

2009 Glasgow North East by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		David Kerr	4,120	20.0
		Ruth Davidson	1,075	5.2
		Charlie Baillie	1,013	4.9
		Tommy Sheridan	794	3.9
		Eileen Baxendale	474	2.3
		David Doherty	332	1.6
		John Smeaton	258	1.2
		Kevin McVey	152	0.7
	No Label	Mikey Hughes	54	0.3
		Louise McDaid	47	0.2
		Mev Brown	32	0.2
	The Individuals Labour and Tory (TILT)	Colin Campbell	13	0.1
Majority			8,111	39.4
Turnout			20,595	33.2
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:If empty" |	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2005: Glasgow North East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John McLaughlin	5,019	17.7
		Doris Kelly	4,036	14.2
		Graham Campbell	1,402	4.9
		Daniel Houston	1,266	4.5
		Scott McLean	920	3.2
		Joe Chambers	622	2.2
Majority			10,134	35.6
Turnout			28,418	45.8
	hold		Swing	−6.6

¹ Michael Martin stood as 'the Speaker seeking re-election'. The Speaker is elected by the House of Commons after each General Election.

As is conventional, Michael Martin (a member of the Labour Party when first elected Speaker) stood as Speaker of the House of Commons in the general election of 2005. The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats did not stand against him. Other parties did, including the Scottish National Party (the Constitution of which requires that the party fight every seat in Scotland).

The most notable feature of the result was the relatively large vote for Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour Party, in an area where it had very little base. This was considered to be a result of voter confusion (and not the first recorded example of its kind). A large number of traditional Labour Party voters may have voted for the Socialist Labour Party in the absence of a named Labour Party candidate on the ballot paper.

See also

• Politics of Glasgow

External links

• Glasgow North East UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2005 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• Glasgow North East UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

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