Aberdeen South (UK Parliament constituency)

Aberdeen South is an affluent suburban constituency located along the south of the Aberdeen City council area. The seat covers most of Aberdeen's affluent West End and the outer villages of Bieldside, Cults, Milltimber and Peterculter. Situated within the constituency are some of Scotland's most affluent neighbourhoods, including Broomhill, Rubislaw and Queen's Cross, which was named the wealthiest part of Scotland in 2003.^[2][3] The seat also extends south-east across the River Dee to cover the suburb of Cove Bay and the more deprived neighbourhoods of Torry and Kincorth.

Future edit

Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies the newly redrawn Aberdeen South to be fought at the Next UK general election would be made from:

• In full: the Aberdeen Council wards of George St/Harbour, Lower Deeside, Hazlehead/Queens Cross/Countesswells, Airyhall/Broomhill/Garthdee, Torry/Ferryhill, Kincorth/Nigg/Cove;
• In part: the Aberdeen Council ward of Midstocket/Rosemount^[4]

Current edit

Map of current boundaries

As redefined by the Fifth Review of the Boundary Commission for Scotland, and subsequently first used in the 2005 general election,^[5] Aberdeen South is entirely within the Aberdeen City council area and one of five constituencies covering that council area and the Aberdeenshire council area.

To the south and west of Aberdeen South there is West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, which is entirely within the Aberdeenshire area. To the north there is Aberdeen North which, like Aberdeen South is entirely within the Aberdeen City area. Further north there is Gordon, which covers part of the Aberdeen City council area and part of the Aberdeenshire council area. To the north of Gordon there is Banff and Buchan which, like West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, is entirely within the Aberdeenshire area.

Historic edit

1885 to 1918 edit

From 1832 to 1885 there was a single Aberdeen constituency. Prior to 1832, the burgh of Aberdeen had been represented as a component of the Aberdeen Burghs constituency.

When Aberdeen South was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 and first used in the 1885 general election, so was Aberdeen North. Aberdeen South then consisted of the municipal wards of St Nicholas, Rosemount, Rubislaw and Ferryhill, and the 9th Parliamentary Polling District.^[6] The rest of the county of Aberdeen was covered by the county constituencies of Eastern Aberdeenshire and Western Aberdeenshire.^[7]

The same boundaries were used in the 1886 general election, the 1892 general election, the 1895 general election, the 1900 general election, the 1906 general election, the January 1910 general election and the December 1910 general election.^{[citation needed]}

1918 to 1950 edit

In 1918 constituency boundaries were redefined by the Representation of the People Act 1918. By then the county of city of Aberdeen had been created; Aberdeen North and Aberdeen South became the two constituencies covering the city (which was one of four counties of cities in Scotland) and entirely within the city. The new boundaries were first used in the 1918 general election, and Aberdeen South then consisted of the wards of Ferryhill, Rosemount, Rubislaw, Ruthrieston and St Nicholas.^[7] The county of Aberdeen was covered by Aberdeen and Kincardine East, Central Aberdeenshire and Kincardine and West Aberdeenshire. East Aberdeenshire and West Aberdeenshire were entirely within the county of Aberdeen. Kincardine and West Aberdeenshire covered the county of Kincardine (minus the burgh of Inverbervie, which was included in Montrose Burghs) and part of the county of Aberdeen.^{[citation needed]}

The same boundaries were used in the 1922, 1923, 1924, 1929, 1931, 1935 and 1945 general elections.^{[citation needed]}

1950 to 1955 edit

For the 1950 general election boundaries were redefined again, by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949. A new list of wards defined Aberdeen South – Ferryhill, Holburn, Rosemount, Rubislaw, Ruthrieston and Torry^[7] – but the county of city of Aberdeen remained a two-constituency city, divided between Aberdeen South and Aberdeen North, with both constituencies entirely within the city.

The county of Aberdeen was then again divided between East Aberdeenshire and West Aberdeenshire, with both of these constituencies entirely within the county.^{[citation needed]}

The same boundaries were used for the 1951 general election.

1955 to 1983 edit

By the time of the 1955 general election, a boundary review had taken account of a small enlargement of the city area. However, the same list of wards – Ferryhill, Holburn, Rosemount, Rubislaw, Ruthrieston and Torry^[7] – continued to define Aberdeen South, and the same boundaries were used for the 1959 general election, the 1964 general election, the 1966 general election, the 1970 general election, the February 1974 general election and the October 1974 general election.

In 1975, throughout Scotland, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, counties were abolished, and the enlarged City of Aberdeen district was formed by including areas formerly within the county of Aberdeen and the county of Kincardine. The city became a district within the Grampian region. The enlarged City of Aberdeen district included areas covered by the constituencies of West Aberdeenshire and North Angus and Mearns. North Angus and Mearns had been created in 1950 to cover the county of Kincardine and part of the county of Angus.^{[citation needed]}

The 1979 general election was held before a review of constituency boundaries took account of new local government boundaries.

1983 to 1997 edit

For the 1983 election, the electoral wards used to create this seat were Rosemount, Rubislaw, St Clements, St Nicholas, Hazlehead, Holburn, Ferryhill, Torry, Nigg.^[8]

The 1983 general election, the 1987 general election and the 1992 general election took place during this period. At the 1992 general election the constituency was the only seat which Labour had won at the 1987 election to be gained by the Conservatives.

In 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, local government regions and districts were abolished and the city became one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. Also, the name of the city became, officially, Aberdeen City.

1997 to 2005 edit

As redefined for the 1997 general election, Aberdeen South was one of three constituencies covering and entirely within the Aberdeen City area, the other two being Aberdeen North and Aberdeen Central. Aberdeen South shared boundaries with both of the other two constituencies.

The same boundaries were used for the 2001 general election.

Aberdeen South was traditionally a strong Liberal Party constituency until it was won by the Unionist Party at the 1918 general election. The constituency subsequently went on to return Unionist MPs to Parliament until the party amalgamated with the Conservatives in 1965. The constituency developed into a Unionist-Labour marginal in 1964 and was gained by Labour's Donald Dewar in 1966, who went on to become the leader of the Scottish Labour Party and later the first-ever First Minister of Scotland in 1999. From the 1970 general election onwards, Aberdeen South returned Conservative MPs to Parliament. The seat was gained by Labour in 1987 and regained by the Conservatives in 1992. At Labour's 1997 landslide election victory Aberdeen South fell to Labour's Anne Begg, who represented the constituency until the 2015 general election when the constituency was gained by Callum McCaig of the Scottish National Party.

Throughout the 2000s, the Liberal Democrats emerged as the main challenger to Labour in Aberdeen South, taking second place in 2005 behind Labour by just 3.2% of the vote. In the Scottish Parliament the equivalent Aberdeen South constituency was represented by the Liberal Democrats from 1999 until 2011, when the constituency of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine was gained by the SNP. Recently the Conservatives have made a set of substantial advances in Aberdeen South, making gains in the constituency at the 2015 UK general election despite seeing a drop in their national vote share across Scotland. At the 2016 Scottish Parliament election the Conservatives finished in second place in the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine constituency, more than doubling their vote share in the constituency and coming behind the SNP by 8.5% of the vote.

Ross Thomson of the Conservatives went on to gain the seat at the 2017 snap general election with a majority of 4,752 votes (10.6%) ahead of the sitting SNP MP Callum McCaig.

In 2019, the seat went back to the SNP when Thomson declined to stand again after controversy. Stephen Flynn became the MP with a majority of 3,990 votes with 44.7% of the vote. This means that in the 10 years between 2010 and 2019, four MPs from three different parties had represented the seat. Notably, since 1964 no candidate has ever managed to secure an absolute majority - 50% of the vote or more.

Elections in the 2020s edit

Elections in the 2010s edit

2019 general election: Aberdeen South^[12][13][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Stephen Flynn	20,388	44.7	13.2
	Conservative	Douglas Lumsden	16,398	35.9	6.2
	Liberal Democrats	Ian Yuill	5,018	11.0	5.2
	Labour	Shona Simpson	3,834	8.4	12.2
Majority			3,990	8.8	1.8
Turnout			45,638	69.4	0.9
Registered electors			65,719
	SNP gain from Conservative		Swing	9.7

2017 general election: Aberdeen South^[15][16][17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ross Thomson	18,746	42.1	19.3
	SNP	Callum McCaig	13,994	31.5	10.1
	Labour	Callum O'Dwyer	9,143	20.6	6.2
	Liberal Democrats	Jenny Wilson	2,610	5.9	1.3
Majority			4,752	10.6	4.2
Turnout			44,493	68.5	2.8
Registered electors			64,964
	Conservative gain from SNP		Swing	14.8

2015 general election: Aberdeen South^[18][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Callum McCaig	20,221	41.6	29.7
	Labour	Anne Begg	12,991	26.8	9.8
	Conservative	Ross Thomson	11,087	22.8	2.1
	Liberal Democrats	Denis Rixon	2,252	4.6	23.8
	Scottish Green	Dan Yeats	964	2.0	1.0
	UKIP	Sandra Skinner	897	1.8	New
	Independent	Christopher Gray	139	0.3	New
Majority			7,230	14.8	6.7
Turnout			48,551	71.3	4.1
Registered electors			68,056
	SNP gain from Labour		Swing	19.8

2010 general election: Aberdeen South^[20][21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Anne Begg	15,722	36.5	0.2
	Liberal Democrats	John Sleigh	12,216	28.4	5.1
	Conservative	Amanda Harvie	8,914	20.7	3.6
	SNP	Mark McDonald	5,102	11.9	2.0
	BNP	Susan Ross	529	1.2	New
	Scottish Green	Rhonda Reekie	413	1.0	0.9
	SACL	Robert Green	138	0.3	New
Majority			3,506	8.1	4.9
Turnout			43,034	67.2	5.1
Registered electors			64,031
	Labour hold		Swing	2.5

Elections in the 2000s edit

2005 general election: Aberdeen South^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Anne Begg	15,272	36.7	1.3
	Liberal Democrats	Vicki Harris	13,924	33.5	4.9
	Conservative	Stewart Whyte	7,134	17.1	2.7
	SNP	Maureen Watt	4,120	9.9	2.3
	Scottish Green	Rhonda Reekie	768	1.8	New
	Scottish Socialist	Donald Munro	403	1.0	0.4
Majority			1,348	3.2	8.7
Turnout			41,621	62.1	2.4
Registered electors			67,012
	Labour hold		Swing	3.1

2001 general election: Aberdeen South^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Anne Begg	14,696	39.8	4.5
	Liberal Democrats	Ian Yuill	10,308	27.9	0.3
	Conservative	Moray Macdonald	7,098	19.2	7.2
	SNP	Ian Angus	4,293	11.6	0.0
	Scottish Socialist	David Watt	495	1.3	New
Majority			4,388	11.9	4.2
Turnout			36,890	62.5	10.3
Registered electors			59,025
	Labour hold		Swing	2.5

Elections in the 1990s edit

1997 general election: Aberdeen South^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Anne Begg	15,541	35.3	11.4
	Liberal Democrats	Nicol Stephen	12,176	27.6	16.0
	Conservative	Raymond Robertson	11,621	26.4	11.0
	SNP	Jim Towers	4,299	11.6	2.3
	Referendum	Ric Wharton	425	1.0	New
Majority			3,365	7.7	4.0
Turnout			44,062	72.8	2.6
Registered electors			60,982
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	11.2

1992 general election: Aberdeen South^[25][26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Raymond Robertson	15,808	38.5	3.7
	Labour	Frank Doran	14,291	34.8	2.9
	SNP	James Davidson	6,223	15.1	8.5
	Liberal Democrats	Irene Keith	4,767	11.6	9.3
Majority			1,517	3.7	0.8
Turnout			41,089	70.2	3.1
Registered electors			58,881
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	3.3

Elections in the 1980s edit

1987 general election: Aberdeen South^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Doran	15,917	37.7	7.8
	Conservative	Gerry Malone	14,719	34.8	4.1
	SDP	Ian Philip	8,844	20.9	5.3
	SNP	Michael Weir	2,776	6.6	1.6
Majority			1,198	2.9	6.1
Turnout			42,256	67.1	1.6
Registered electors			62,943
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	6.0

1983 general election: Aberdeen South^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gerry Malone	15,393	38.9	1.4
	Labour	Robert Middleton	11,812	29.9	9.2
	SDP	Ian Philip	10,372	26.2	14.9
	SNP	Sam Coull	1,974	5.0	4.4
Majority			3,581	9.0	7.5
Turnout			39,551	68.7	9.8
Registered electors			57,540
	Conservative hold		Swing	6.6

Elections in the 1970s edit

1979 general election: Aberdeen South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Iain Sproat	20,820	40.7	5.3
	Labour	Norman Godman	20,048	39.2	4.4
	Liberal	Helen Maud Pitt-Watson	5,901	11.5	1.9
	SNP	Alexander Stronach	4,361	8.5	11.6
Majority			772	1.5	0.8
Turnout			54,430	78.6	0.2
Registered electors			65,090
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.4

October 1974 general election: Aberdeen South^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Iain Sproat	18,475	35.5	4.2
	Labour	Robert Middleton	18,110	34.8	1.6
	SNP	Alexander Stronach	10,481	20.1	6.4
	Liberal	Angus Abercrombie Robbie	5,018	9.6	3.8
Majority			365	0.7	5.7
Turnout			52,204	76.3	5.9
Registered electors			68,241
	Conservative hold		Swing	2.9

February 1974 general election: Aberdeen South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Iain Sproat	21,938	39.6	6.8
	Labour	Robert Middleton	18,380	33.2	10.1
	SNP	Alexander Stronach	7,599	13.7	8.4
	Liberal	Angus Abercrombie Robbie	7,447	13.5	7.5
Majority			3,558	6.4	4.4
Turnout			55,366	82.2	5.1
Registered electors			67,379
	Conservative hold		Swing	8.5

1970 general election: Aberdeen South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Iain Sproat	23,843	45.4	2.9
	Labour	Donald Dewar	22,754	43.3	2.8
	Liberal	Kenneth J.B.S. McLeod	3,135	6.0	5.5
	SNP	Bruce Mavor Cockie	2,777	5.3	New
Majority			1,089	2.1	1.5
Turnout			52,509	77.1	4.2
Registered electors			68,147
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	2.8

Elections in the 1960s edit

1966 general election: Aberdeen South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Donald Dewar	23,291	46.1	3.7
	Conservative	Priscilla Buchan	21,492	42.5	7.5
	Liberal	Norman W. King	5,797	11.5	New
Majority			1,799	3.6	4.0
Turnout			50,580	81.3	2.5
Registered electors			62,206
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	5.6

1964 general election: Aberdeen South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Priscilla Buchan	25,824	50.0	3.8
	Labour	Donald Dewar	21,926	42.5	5.9
	SNP	John Reid	3,898	7.6	New
Majority			3,898	7.6	9.7
Turnout			51,648	83.8	2.2
Registered electors			61,636
	Unionist hold		Swing	4.8

Elections in the 1950s edit

1959 general election: Aberdeen South^[30]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Priscilla Buchan	25,471	53.8	3.9
	Labour	Peter Doig	17,349	36.6	5.7
	Liberal	Elma Tryphosa Dangerfield	4,558	9.6	New
Majority			8,122	17.2	1.7
Turnout			47,378	81.6	0.5
Registered electors			58,086
	Unionist hold		Swing	1.7

1955 general election: Aberdeen South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Priscilla Buchan	26,817	57.7	1.0
	Labour	Judith Hart	19,627	42.3	1.0
Majority			7,190	15.5	2.0
Turnout			46,444	81.1	1.6
Registered electors			57,292
	Unionist hold		Swing	1.0

1951 general election: Aberdeen South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Priscilla Buchan	28,947	58.8	5.1
	Labour	Sinclair Shaw	20,325	41.3	5.7
Majority			8,622	17.5	0.6
Turnout			49,272	82.7	1.8
Registered electors			59,589
	Unionist hold		Swing	5.4

1950 general election: Aberdeen South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Priscilla Buchan	26,128	53.7	7.0
	Labour	Olive R. Crutchley	17,302	35.5	6.6
	Liberal	Richard Thomas Pirie	5,248	10.8	0.2
Majority			8,826	18.1	13.7
Turnout			58,680	84.9	12.3
Registered electors			57,340
	Unionist hold		Swing	6.8

Elections in the 1940s edit

1946 by-election: Aberdeen South^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Priscilla Buchan	21,750	54.8	8.1
	Labour	Arthur Irvine	17,911	45.2	2.8
Majority			3,839	9.7	5.3
Turnout			39,661
	Unionist hold		Swing	5.4

1945 general election: Aberdeen South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Douglas Thomson	19,214	46.7	26.6
	Labour	William McLaine	17,398	42.3	10.5
	Liberal	James Logie Milne	4,501	11.0	New
Majority			1,816	4.4	31.9
Turnout			41,113	72.2	6.4
Registered electors			56,943
	Unionist hold		Swing	13.5

Elections in the 1930s edit

1935 general election: Aberdeen South^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Douglas Thomson	25,270	68.1	15.5
	Labour	George Rettie McIntosh	11,817	31.9	15.6
Majority			13,453	36.3	27.9
Turnout			37,087	65.9	10.0
Registered electors			56,319
	Unionist hold		Swing	15.5

1935 by-election: Aberdeen South^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Douglas Thomson	20,925	66.0	17.6
	Labour	Joseph Forbes Duncan	10,760	34.0	17.6
Majority			10,165	32.1	35.3
Turnout			31,685	75.8	0.0
	Unionist hold		Swing

1931 general election: Aberdeen South^[34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Frederick Thomson	33,988	83.7	22.8
	Labour	George Catto	6,627	16.3	22.9
Majority			27,361	67.4	45.8
Turnout			40,115	75.8	8.6
	Unionist hold		Swing	22.9

Elections in the 1920s edit

1929 general election: Aberdeen South^[35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Frederick Thomson	21,548	60.8	0.7
	Labour	William Martin	13,868	39.2	0.7
Majority			7,680	21.6	1.4
Turnout			35,416	67.2	1.6
	Unionist hold		Swing	0.7

1924 general election: Aberdeen South^[36]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Frederick Thomson	16,092	60.1	12.8
	Labour	George Archibald	10,699	39.9	10.9
Majority			5,393	20.2	1.9
Turnout			26,791	68.8	8.1
Registered electors			38,958
	Unionist hold		Swing	1.0

1923 general election: Aberdeen South^[37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Frederick Thomson	11,258	47.3	10.7
	Labour	John Paton	6,911	29.0	New
	Liberal	Charles Mallet	5,641	23.7	18.3
Majority			4,347	18.3	2.3
Turnout			23,810	60.7	3.2
	Unionist hold		Swing

1922 general election: Aberdeen South^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Frederick Thomson	13,208	58.0	4.4
	Liberal	Charles Mallet	9,573	42.0	21.2
Majority			3,635	16.0	25.6
Turnout			22,781	57.5	13.6
	Unionist hold		Swing	12.8

Elections in the 1910s edit

1918 general election: Aberdeen South^[39]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	Frederick Thomson	10,625	62.4	21.9
	Liberal	John Fleming	3,535	20.8	38.7
	Independent	James Watson	2,868	16.8	New
Majority			7,090	41.6	N/A
Turnout			17,028	43.9	28.3
Registered electors			38,800
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	30.3
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

1917 by-election: Aberdeen South^[40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Fleming	3,283	64.1	4.6
	Independent	James Watson	1,507	29.4	New
	Independent	Frederick Pethick-Lawrence	333	6.5	New
Majority			1,776	34.7	15.7
Turnout			5,123	37.1	35.1
Registered electors			13,791
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

December 1910 general election: Aberdeen South^[41][40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	George Esslemont	5,862	59.5	0.9
	Liberal Unionist	William C. Smith	3,997	40.5	0.9
Majority			1,865	19.0	1.8
Turnout			9,859	72.2	10.7
Registered electors			13,657
	Liberal hold		Swing	0.9

January 1910 general election: Aberdeen South^[41][40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	George Esslemont	6,749	60.4	14.0
	Unionist	Ronald McNeill	4,433	39.6	14.0
Majority			2,316	20.8	28.0
Turnout			11,182	82.9	12.7
Registered electors			13,496
	Liberal hold		Swing	14.0

Elections in the 1900s edit

1907 by-election: Aberdeen South^[42][40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	George Esslemont	3,779	42.3	32.1
	Conservative	Ronald McNeill	3,412	38.2	12.6
	Independent Labour	Fred Bramley	1,740	19.5	New
Majority			367	4.1	44.7
Turnout			8,931	68.4	1.8
Registered electors			13,053
	Liberal hold		Swing	22.4

1906 general election: Aberdeen South^[43][40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Bryce	6,780	74.4	21.9
	Liberal Unionist	William George Black	2,332	25.6	21.9
Majority			4,448	48.8	43.8
Turnout			9,112	70.2	0.7
Registered electors			12,980
	Liberal hold		Swing	21.9

1900 general election: Aberdeen South^[44][40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Bryce	4,238	52.5	3.6
	Liberal Unionist	William Charles Smith	3,830	47.5	3.6
Majority			408	5.0	7.2
Turnout			8,068	70.9	2.1
Registered electors			11,383
	Liberal hold		Swing	3.6

Elections in the 1890s edit

1895 general election: Aberdeen South^[44][40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Bryce	3,985	56.1	0.1
	Liberal Unionist	David Stewart	3,121	43.9	15.7
Majority			864	12.2	15.6
Turnout			7,106	73.0	2.3
Registered electors			9,731
	Liberal hold		Swing	7.8

Elections in the 1880s edit

Specific

General

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 1)

57°05′42″N 2°07′59″W / 57.095°N 2.133°W / 57.095; -2.133