| Kirkcaldy | |
|---|---|
| Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundary of Kirkcaldy in Scotlandfor the 2001 general election | |
| Major settlements | Kirkcaldy |
| February 1974–2005 | |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Kirkcaldy Burghs |
| Replaced by | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Glenrothes |
Kirkcaldy was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Fife, returning one Member of Parliament (MP). It existed from the February 1974 election until its abolition in 2005.
This was a safe Labour seat throughout its existence.
1974–1983: The burghs of Buckhaven and Methil, Burntisland, Kinghorn, and Kirkcaldy, the district of Kirkcaldy (except the electoral divisions of Markinch North and Markinch South) and the district of Wemyss (except the electoral divisions of Kennoway and Scoonie). [1]
1983–1997: The Kirkcaldy District electoral divisions of Auchtertool/Linktown/Invertiel, Bennochy/Chapel/Cluny, Bennochy/Dunearn, Buckhaven/East Wemyss, Burntisland/Kinghorn, Dunnikier, Gallatown/Dysart/Coaltown of Wemyss/Thornton, Hayfield/Kirkcaldy Central, and Smeaton/Sinclairtown.
1997–2005: The Kirkcaldy District electoral divisions of Buckhaven, Thornton and Wemyss; Burntisland and Auchtertool; Dunearn and Torbain; Dunnikier and Fair Isle; Dysart and Gallatown; Hayfield and Bennochy; Kinghorn and Linktown; Pathhead, Sinclairtown and Smeaton; and Raith and Valley.
The constituency was centred on the town of Kirkcaldy. It was created at the February 1974 election, mostly replacing Kirkcaldy Burghs. In 2005 the seat was abolished, being mostly replaced by Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath with a small portion becoming part of Glenrothes.
| Election | Member | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1974 | Harry Gourlay | Labour | Previously MP for Kirkcaldy Burghs from 1959. Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means 1968–1970. Died April 1987 | |
| 1987 | Lewis Moonie | Labour Co-operative | ||
| 2005 | constituency abolished: see Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath & Glenrothes | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Harry Gourlay | 22,469 | 47.0 | ||
| Conservative | Arthur John Armstrong Bell | 13,087 | 27.3 | ||
| SNP | Roger Thompson Knox | 12,311 | 25.7 | ||
| Majority | 9,382 | 19.7 | |||
| Turnout | 47,867 | 79.4 | |||
| Labour win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Harry Gourlay | 20,688 | 45.4 | −1.6 | |
| SNP | Roger Thompson Knox | 14,587 | 32.0 | +6.3 | |
| Conservative | Robert Jones | 7,539 | 16.5 | −10.8 | |
| Liberal | Fergus Gray Young | 2,788 | 6.1 | New | |
| Majority | 6,101 | 13.4 | −6.3 | ||
| Turnout | 45,602 | 75.0 | −4.4 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Harry Gourlay | 25,449 | 53.9 | +8.5 | |
| Conservative | Jean Hazel Stewart | 12,386 | 26.2 | +9.7 | |
| SNP | Andrew Currie | 9,416 | 19.9 | −12.1 | |
| Majority | 13,063 | 27.7 | +14.3 | ||
| Turnout | 47,251 | 77.4 | +2.4 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Harry Gourlay | 15,380 | 40.3 | −10.4 | |
| Conservative | Iain Walker | 10,049 | 26.3 | −2.8 | |
| SDP | Malcolm Black | 9,274 | 24.3 | New | |
| SNP | David Wood | 3,452 | 9.1 | −11.0 | |
| Majority | 5,331 | 14.0 | −13.7 | ||
| Turnout | 53,078 | 71.9 | −5.5 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Lewis Moonie | 20,281 | 49.6 | +9.3 | |
| Conservative | Iain Mitchell | 8,711 | 21.3 | −5.0 | |
| SDP | David Stewart | 7,118 | 17.4 | −6.9 | |
| SNP | Roger Mullin | 4,794 | 11.7 | +2.6 | |
| Majority | 11,570 | 28.3 | +14.3 | ||
| Turnout | 53,439 | 76.5 | +4.6 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Lewis Moonie | 17,887 | 46.0 | −3.6 | |
| SNP | Stewart Hosie | 8,761 | 22.5 | +10.8 | |
| Conservative | Stephen Wosley | 8,476 | 21.8 | +0.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Sue Leslie | 3,729 | 9.6 | −7.8 | |
| Majority | 9,126 | 23.5 | −4.8 | ||
| Turnout | 38,853 | 74.8 | −1.7 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | −7.2 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Lewis Moonie | 18,730 | 53.6 | +8.0 | |
| SNP | Stewart Hosie | 8,020 | 22.9 | +0.3 | |
| Conservative | Charlotte Black | 4,779 | 13.7 | −8.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Mainland | 3,031 | 8.7 | −1.0 | |
| Referendum | Victor Baxter | 413 | 1.2 | New | |
| Majority | 10,710 | 30.7 | +7.6 | ||
| Turnout | 34,973 | 66.5 | −8.3 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | +3.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Lewis Moonie | 15,227 | 54.1 | +0.5 | |
| SNP | Shirley-Anne Somerville | 6,264 | 22.2 | −0.7 | |
| Conservative | Scott Campbell | 3,013 | 10.7 | −3.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Andrew Weston | 2,849 | 10.1 | +1.4 | |
| Scottish Socialist | Douglas Kinnear | 804 | 2.9 | New | |
| Majority | 8,963 | 31.9 | +1.2 | ||
| Turnout | 28,157 | 54.6 | −11.9 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | +0.6 | |||
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