Birkenhead West (UK Parliament constituency)

Birkenhead West was a parliamentary constituency that returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

Birkenhead West
Former Borough constituency for the House of Commons
1918–1950
Number of members	one
Replaced by	Birkenhead
Created from	Birkenhead and Wirral

History

The constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918 for the 1918 general election when the Parliamentary Borough of Birkenhead was split between the East and West Divisions.

It was abolished by the Representation of the People Act 1948 for the 1950 general election, when it was included in the reconstituted constituency of Birkenhead.

Boundaries

The County Borough of Birkenhead wards of Claughton, Cleveland, Grange, and Oxton.[1]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1918	Sir Henry Grayson	Coalition Conservative
	1922	William Henry Stott	Conservative
	1923	William Henry Egan	Labour
	1924	Ellis Nuttall	Conservative
	1929	William Henry Egan	Labour
	1931	John Sandeman Allen	Conservative
	1945	Percy Collick	Labour
1950		constituency abolished: see Birkenhead

Elections

Election in the 1910s

General election 1918: Birkenhead West [2][3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	Henry Grayson	10,881	59.43
	Labour	William Henry Egan	5,673	30.98
	Liberal	Harold Bickersteth	1,755	9.59
Majority			5,208	28.45
Turnout			18,309	60.89
Registered electors			30,068
	Unionist win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Birkenhead West [2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	William Henry Stott	12,176	54.00	−5.43
	Labour	William Henry Egan	10,371	46.00	+15.02
Majority			1,805	8.00	−20.45
Turnout			22,547	75.55	+14.66
Registered electors			29,843
	Unionist hold		Swing	−10.23

General election 1923: Birkenhead West [2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Henry Egan	12,473	55.85	+9.85
	Unionist	William Henry Stott	9,862	44.15	−9.85
Majority			2,611	11.70	N/A
Turnout			22,335	72.42	−3.13
Registered electors			30,841
	Labour gain from Unionist		Swing	+9.85

General election 1924: Birkenhead West [2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Ellis Nuttall	13,059	50.65	+6.50
	Labour	William Henry Egan	12,723	49.35	−6.50
Majority			336	1.30	N/A
Turnout			25,782	81.14	+8.72
Registered electors			31,774
	Unionist gain from Labour		Swing	+6.50

General election 1929: Birkenhead West [2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Henry Egan	15,634	46.00	−3.35
	Unionist	Ellis Nuttall	13,410	39.45	−11.20
	Liberal	RP Fletcher	4,946	14.55	New
Majority			2,224	6.55	N/A
Turnout			33,990	79.47	−1.67
Registered electors			42,773
	Labour gain from Unionist		Swing	+3.93

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Birkenhead West [2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Sandeman Allen	22,336	63.78	+24.33
	Labour	William Henry Egan	12,682	36.22	−9.78
Majority			9,654	27.56	N/A
Turnout			35,018	82.20	+2.73
Registered electors			42,600
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+17.06

General election 1935: Birkenhead West [2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Sandeman Allen	17,684	55.94	−7.84
	Labour	C McVey	13,931	44.06	+7.84
Majority			3,753	11.88	−15.72
Turnout			31,615	74.71	−7.49
Registered electors			42,316
	Conservative hold		Swing	−7.84

Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Birkenhead West [2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Percy Collick	15,568	57.32	+13.26
	Conservative	AR Moody	11,591	42.68	−13.26
Majority			3,977	14.64	N/A
Turnout			27,159	75.12	+0.41
Registered electors			36,156
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+13.26

See also

• History of Parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Cheshire

References

1. Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell.
2. Craig, F.W.S., ed. (1969). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949. Glasgow: Political Reference Publications. p. 78. ISBN 0-900178-01-9.
3. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1922

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 3)
• Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.