Acton (UK Parliament constituency)

Acton
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
County 1918–1965: Middlesex
1965–1983: Greater London
1950–1983
Number of members One
Replaced by Ealing Acton
1918–1950
Number of members One
Type of constituency County constituency
Created from Ealing

Acton was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, created for the 1918 general election. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.

The constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election, and replaced by the new Ealing Acton constituency.

Boundaries

Acton constituency within the parliamentary county of Middlesex, showing boundaries used from 1918-45
Acton constituency within the parliamentary county of Middlesex, showing boundaries used from 1945-50

The constituency came into existence in 1918, as a division of the county of Middlesex, to the west of the County of London. It was based on the town of Acton, which like most of Middlesex in the twentieth century became part of the London conurbation. The seat consisted of the Acton Urban District, which became a Municipal Borough in 1921.

In the redistribution of Parliamentary seats, which took effect at the United Kingdom general election, 1950, there was no change to the boundaries. However the constituency was re-classified as a borough constituency.

In 1965 the area became part of the London Borough of Ealing and Greater London.

In the redistribution which took effect at the February 1974 general election, the constituency became a division of Ealing (although it is not customary to use the London Borough prefix for the 1974-1983 period). The constituency consisted of six wards of the London Borough of Ealing - Central, East, Hanger Hill, Heathfield, Southfield and Springfield.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1918 Sir Harry Brittain Unionist
1929 James Shillaker Labour
1931 Hubert Duggan Conservative
1943 Henry Longhurst Conservative
1945 Joseph Sparks Labour
1959 Philip Holland Conservative
1964 Bernard Floud Labour
1968 Kenneth Baker Conservative
1970 Nigel Spearing Labour
1974 Sir George Young Conservative
1983 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1918: Acton [1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist 11,671 n/a
Labour Robert Dunsmore 4,241 n/a
Majority n/a
Turnout n/a
Unionist win

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Acton
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Sir Harry Ernest Brittain 10,208 50.0
Labour Mary Richardson 5,342 26.1
Liberal Charles Neville Douglas Dixey 4,877 23.9
Majority 4,866 23.9
Turnout 20,427
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1923: Acton [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Sir Harry Ernest Brittain 8,943 42.6
Labour Herbert Alphonsus Baldwin 6,069 28.9
Liberal Bertram Arthur Levinson 5,981 28.5
Majority 2,874 13.7
Turnout 20,993 66.9
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1929: Acton [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour James Frederick Shillaker 13,206 41.4 +17.4
Unionist Sir Harry Ernest Brittain 12,739 39.9 -14.2
Liberal Frank Medlicott 5,981 18.7 +5.5
Majority 467 1.5 31.6
Turnout 31,926 75.5
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +15.8

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Hubert John Duggan 24,196 66.99
Labour William McLaine 11,924 33.01
Majority 12,272 33.98
Turnout 75.5
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election 1935
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Hubert John Duggan 19,137 58.5
Labour William McLaine 13,559 41.5
Majority 5,578 17.1
Turnout 67.8
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

Acton by-election, 1943
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Henry Carpenter Longhurst 5,014 60.3
Ind. Labour Party Walter Padley 2,336 28.1 N/A
Independent Dorothy Crisp 707 8.5 N/A
Independent Edward Godfrey 258 3.1 N/A
Majority 2,678 32.2
Turnout 8,315
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1945
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Joseph Alfred Sparks 19,950 56.1
Conservative Henry Carpenter Longhurst 12,134 34.8
Liberal Francis Joseph Halpin 3,172 9.1
Majority 7,456 21.4
Turnout 77.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Joseph Sparks 21,751 49.1
Conservative George F Willment 19,116 43.1
Liberal Miss Pauline Furniss 2,781 6.3
Communist Albert F Papworth 663 1.5
Majority 2,635 6.0
Turnout 87.8
Labour hold Swing
General election 1951
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Joseph Sparks 23,287 52.2
Conservative Lieutenant-Commander Leslie Frank Ramseyer 21,296 47.8
Majority 1,991 4.5
Turnout 86.9
Labour hold Swing
General election 1955
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Joseph Sparks 20,645 50.6
Conservative John Leslie Bott 20,120 49.4
Majority 525 1.3
Turnout 82.6
Labour hold Swing
General election 1959
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Philip Holland 19,358 51.2
Labour Joseph Sparks 18,438 48.8
Majority 920 2.4
Turnout 80.7
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Bernard Floud 17,022 49.3
Conservative Philip Holland 14,423 41.8
Liberal Barwys Niel Martin-Kaye 3,049 8.8
Majority 2,599 7.5
Turnout 77.4
Labour hold Swing
General election 1966
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Bernard Floud 18,541 57.7
Conservative Kenneth Baker 13,600 42.3
Majority 4,941 15.4
Turnout 74.0
Labour hold Swing
Acton by-election, 1968
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Kenneth Baker 12,242 48.67 +6.36
Labour Walter Hamlet Johnson 8,522 33.88 -23.81
Liberal Frank Davis 2,868 11.40 N/A
National Front Andrew Fountaine 1,400 5.57 N/A
Independent Harold Fox 75 0.30 N/A
Independent William Gold 44 0.17 N/A
Majority 3,720 14.79
Turnout 25,151
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Nigel John Spearing 13,960 48.0 -9.7
Conservative Kenneth Wilfred Baker 13,300 45.7 +3.4
Liberal Dion Scherer 1,583 5.44 N/A
Communist Maurice Costin 258 0.9 N/A
Majority 660 2.3 -13.1
Turnout 29,101 66.1
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General election February 1974
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative George Samuel Knatchbull Young 18,492 43.3
Labour Nigel John Spearing 17,041 39.9
Liberal Mario Reginald Uziell-Hamilton 7,160 16.8
Majority 1,451 3.4
Turnout 75.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election October 1974
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative George Samuel Knatchbull Young 17,669 45.2
Labour Glen Alexander Barnham 16,861 43.1
Liberal Mario Reginald Uziell-Hamilton 4,569 11.7
Majority 808 2.1
Turnout 69.9
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1979
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative George Samuel Knatchbull Young 21,056 51.9
Labour Glen Alexander Barnham 15,258 37.6
Liberal S Rowley 3,549 8.7
National Front C Wakley 501 1.2
Irish National Party J O'Leary 243 0.6
Majority 5,798 14.3
Turnout 71.4
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1922
  2. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-49, FWS Craig
  3. ↑ "The General Election. First Returns, Polling In The Boroughs". The Times. 31 May 1929. p. 7.
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