Seaham (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Seaham
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
19181950
Seatsone
Created from South East Durham and part of Houghton-le-Spring
Replaced by Easington and Houghton-le-Spring

Seaham was a parliamentary constituency, in existence between 1918 and 1950, of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Contents

History

Seaham was created under the Representation of the People Act 1918 for the 1918 general election, comprising northern parts of the abolished South Eastern Division of Durham. The town of Seaham itself was transferred from Houghton-le-Spring.

It was abolished for the 1950 general election under the Representation of the People Act 1948, with the bulk of its area moved into the new constituency of Easington. The expanded Urban District of Seaham Harbour (now incorporating Seaham) was transferred back to Houghton-le-Spring. [1]

Boundaries

Political history

The history of this constituency, which incorporated a lot of the mining area of the eastern part of County Durham around Seaham, is of strong Labour Party support.

In the so-called "coupon election" of 1918, Major Evan Hayward was issued a Coalition 'coupon'. However, he repudiated the 'coupon' and stood as a Liberal and was elected. At the following general election, in 1922, Sidney Webb, an early socialist and author of the Labour Party's then-new constitution, was returned. Webb was easily re-elected in 1923 and 1924. He was subsequently raised to the peerage; his successor as parliamentary candidate was Ramsay MacDonald, the leader of the Labour Party at the time. At the 1929 general election MacDonald won, and for the second time became Prime Minister presiding over a minority Labour administration.

The economic crisis after 1929 led to a political crisis in mid-1931, and MacDonald failed to secure agreement in cabinet for his proposed cuts in outdoor relief for the unemployed. MacDonald went to see King George V, who persuaded him to form a National Government. In the general election that followed, MacDonald stood in Seaham as National Labour and was comfortably elected, and continued to serve as a Prime Minister of a National Government that was predominantly Conservative-supported.

MacDonald retired as Prime Minister in 1935 but remained in the Cabinet. In the general election of 1935 he was resoundingly defeated at Seaham by Emanuel Shinwell, the Labour Party candidate. Shinwell was re-elected in the Labour landslide at the 1945 election and subsequently served as MP for the successor constituency of Easington until 1970.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1918 Evan Hayward Liberal
1922 Sidney Webb Labour
1929 Rt Hon Ramsay MacDonald Labour
1931 National Labour
1935 Manny Shinwell Labour
1950 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Seaham [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Evan Hayward 12,754 58.7
Labour Jack Lawson 8,98841.3
Majority 3,76617.4
Turnout 21,74259.2
Liberal win (new seat)

Elections in the 1920s

Webb Sidney Webb 01.jpg
Webb
General election 1922: Seaham [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Sidney Webb 20,203 59.9 +18.6
Unionist Thomas Andrews Bradford8,31524.6New
Liberal Evan Hayward 5,24715.5−43.2
Majority 11,88835.3N/A
Turnout 33,76581.9+22.7
Labour gain from Liberal Swing
General election 1923: Seaham [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Sidney Webb 21,281 71.3 +11.4
Unionist Ronald Ross 8,54628.7+4.1
Majority 12,73542.6+7.3
Turnout 29,82771.3−10.6
Labour hold Swing +3.6
General election 1924: Seaham [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Sidney Webb 22,399 65.5 −5.8
Unionist Ronald Ross 11,77534.5+5.8
Majority 10,62431.0−11.6
Turnout 34,17478.8+7.5
Labour hold Swing -5.8
MacDonald Ramsay MacDonald ggbain.37952.jpg
MacDonald
General election 1929: Seaham [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Ramsay MacDonald 35,615 72.5 +7.0
Unionist William Arthur Fearnley-Whittingstall6,82113.9−20.6
Liberal Henry Augustus Haslam5,26610.7New
Communist Harry Pollitt 1,4512.9New
Majority 28,79458.6+27.6
Turnout 49,15384.2+5.4
Labour hold Swing +13.8

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Seaham [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Labour Ramsay MacDonald 28,978 55.0 −17.5
Labour William Coxon23,02743.7−28.8
Communist George Lumley6771.3−1.6
Majority 5,95111.3N/A
Turnout 52,68286.7+2.5
National Labour gain from Labour Swing
General election 1935: Seaham [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Manny Shinwell 38,380 68.2 +24.5
National Labour Ramsay MacDonald 17,88231.8−23.2
Majority 20,49836.4N/A
Turnout 56,26286.3−0.4
Labour gain from National Labour Swing +23.8

General Election 1939–40

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Seaham [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Manny Shinwell 42,942 80.1 +11.9
Conservative Maurice Macmillan 10,68519.9New
Majority 32,25760.2+23.8
Turnout 53,62779.8−6.5
Labour hold Swing

See also

References

  1. Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester, UK: Political Reference Publications. pp. 58–59. ISBN   0-900178-09-4. OCLC   539011.
  2. "Representation of the People Act 1918". 1918. p. 496.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig (1983). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN   0-900178-06-X.
  4. Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Constituency represented by the prime minister
1929–1935
Succeeded by