Perth and East Perthshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Perth and East Perthshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Boundaries

The constituency was defined by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 and first used in the 1950 general election. The boundaries were exactly those of the preceding Perth constituency, and it was one of two constituencies covering the county of Perth and the county of Kinross. The other was Kinross and West Perthshire.

The Perth and East Perthshire constituency was defined as covering the burghs of Abernethy, Alyth, Blairgowrie, Coupar Angus, Perth, and Rattray in the county of Perth and the Blairgowrie, and Perth districts of the county.

1950 boundaries were used also for the general elections of 1951, 1955, 1959, 1964, 1966 and 1970.

For the February 1974 general election, the results of the Second Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission were implemented, and there was a minor change to the boundaries of Perth and East Perthshire. It was redefined as covering the burghs of Abernethy, Alyth, Blairgowrie and Rattray (now a single burgh), Coupar Angus, and Perth in the county of Perth, and the Eastern, and Perth districts of the county.

February 1974 boundaries were used also in the general elections of October 1974 and 1979.

In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, counties and burghs throughout Scotland had been abolished in favour of regions and districts and islands council areas. The county of Kinross and most of the county of Perth had been merged into the Tayside region. The burghs of Callander, Doune, and Dunblane in the county of Perth, the Perth parish of Muckhart and the Western district of the county (except the electoral division of Ardoch) had been merged into the Central region.

New constituency boundaries, taking account of new local government boundaries, were adopted for the 1983 general election. Constituencies defined to cover the Tayside region included Perth and Kinross.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party	Notes
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1950	Sir Alan Gomme-Duncan	Unionist	previously MP for Perth
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1959	Ian MacArthur	Unionist
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Oct 1974	Douglas Crawford	SNP
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1979	Bill Walker	Conservative
1983		constituency abolished: see Perth and Kinross

Election results

Elections in the 1950s

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General election 1950: Perth and East Perthshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Hughes	11,706	26.4
		Donald Stewart	4,118	9.3
		John Lamont Wilson	3,623	8.2
Majority			13,144	29.7
Turnout			44,297	81.6

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General election 1951: Perth and East Perthshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Neil McBride	11,167	25.7
		Robert McIntyre	6,479	14.9
Majority			14,631	33.7
Turnout			43,444
	hold		Swing

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General election 1955: Perth and East Perthshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert McIntyre	9,227	22.8
		John B Urquhart	8,313	20.5
Majority			13,721	33.9
Turnout			40,488
	hold		Swing

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General election 1959: Perth and East Perthshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert McIntyre	9,637	23.1
		Thomas W Moore	7,781	18.7
Majority			14,580	35.1
Turnout			41,635	75.6
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

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General election 1964: Perth and East Perthshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Frederick L Forrester	10,184	24.7
		Robert McIntyre	7,186	17.4
Majority			13,728	33.2
Turnout			41,282	75.6
	hold		Swing

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General election 1966: Perth and East Perthshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		James Jennings	10,911	27.9
		Malcolm B Shaw	6,128	15.6
Majority			11,218	28.6
Turnout			39,168	72.3
	hold		Swing	-2.3

Elections in the 1970s

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General election 1970: Perth and East Perthshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Valerie A. Friel	9,972	23.8
		Duncan C. Murray	7,112	17.0
		Richard Livsey	3,011	7.2
Majority			11,888	28.3
Turnout			41,955	73.5
	hold		Swing	-0.2

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General election February 1974: Perth and East Perthshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Douglas Crawford	12,192	27.2
		Valerie A. Friel	6,784	15.2
		K. Smith	4,644	10.4
Majority			8,975	20.1
Turnout			44,787	78.3
	hold		Swing

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General election October 1974: Perth and East Perthshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Ian MacArthur	16,544	38.9
		J. White	5,805	13.7
		R. Duncan	2,851	6.7
Majority			793	1.9
Turnout			42,537	73.8
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:If empty" |	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+11.0

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General election 1979: Perth and East Perthshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Douglas Crawford	17,050	35.5
		W.F. McKenzie	6,432	13.4
		B. Goudie	4,410	9.2
Majority			3,103	6.5
Turnout			48,045	77.3
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:If empty" |	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+4.2