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Argyll and Bute (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Argyll and Bute is a county constituency of the House of Commons
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It was created for the 1983 general election
, merging most of Argyll
with some of Bute and Northern Ayrshire
. A similar constituency, also called Argyll and Bute
, is used by the Scottish Parliament
.
of the Strathclyde region
. In 2005 it was enlarged to cover the Argyll and Bute council area
, which had been created in 1996. Thus Helensburgh
, already included within the new council area, was included in the constituency.
Helensburgh had been within the Dunbarton district until 1996, and within the Dumbarton constituency
until 2005.
have held the seat since 1987, when they took it from the Conservatives
and currently, the Conservatives, Labour
and the SNP
are capable of taking the seat with a small swing of less than 6.3%. The equivalent seat
to Argyll & Bute in the Scottish Parliament was lost to the SNP in 2007, and was again taken by the nationalists in 2011.
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It was created for the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, merging most of Argyll
Argyllshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Argyllshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1950, when it was renamed Argyll...
with some of Bute and Northern Ayrshire
Bute and Northern Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Bute and Northern Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
. A similar constituency, also called Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Argyll and Bute is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, is used by the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
.
Boundaries
When created in 1983, the constituency covered the area of the Argyll districtArgyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
of the Strathclyde region
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
. In 2005 it was enlarged to cover the Argyll and Bute council area
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...
, which had been created in 1996. Thus Helensburgh
Helensburgh
Helensburgh is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gareloch....
, already included within the new council area, was included in the constituency.
Helensburgh had been within the Dunbarton district until 1996, and within the Dumbarton constituency
Dumbarton (UK Parliament constituency)
Dumbarton was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005. It was largely absorbed into the new constituency of Dunbartonshire West, with Helensburgh joining Argyll and Bute....
until 2005.
Politics
Argyll & Bute is one of the few four-way marginal constituencies in Britain. The Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
have held the seat since 1987, when they took it from the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and currently, the Conservatives, Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and the SNP
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
are capable of taking the seat with a small swing of less than 6.3%. The equivalent seat
Argyll and Bute (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Argyll and Bute is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
to Argyll & Bute in the Scottish Parliament was lost to the SNP in 2007, and was again taken by the nationalists in 2011.
Member of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... |
John MacKay | Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| 1987 United Kingdom general election, 1987 The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd... |
Ray Michie Ray Michie, Baroness Michie of Gallanach Janet Ray Michie, Baroness Michie of Gallanach was a British speech therapist and Liberal Democrat politician. She served as Member of Parliament for Argyll and Bute for 14 years, from 1987 to 2001, and then became a life peer in the House of Lords... |
Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day... |
|
| 1988 | Liberal Democrat | ||
| 2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats... |
Alan Reid | Liberal Democrat | |