Manchester Clayton (UK Parliament constituency)

Manchester Clayton
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1918–1955
Number of members one
Replaced by Manchester Cheetham and Manchester Openshaw
Created from Manchester East, Manchester North and Manchester North East

Manchester Clayton was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

The constituency was created for the 1918 general election and abolished for the 1955 general election.

Boundaries

1918–1950

The constituency was created as a result of the Report of the Boundary Commission in 1917, when it was recommended to be called "Manchester Newton Heath".[1] However, when the Representation of the People Bill to give effect to the Commission's recommendations was debated in Parliament, the Government accepted an amendment to change the name to Clayton.[2] The new constituency came into effect at the 1918 general election. Although Parliament had altered the recommended name, it retained the recommended boundaries, and was defined as consisting of three municipal wards of the county borough of Manchester, namely Beswick, Bradford and Newton Heath.[3]

1950–1955

Constituencies throughout Great Britain were reorganised by the Representation of the People Act 1948, which introduced the term "borough constituency". Manchester, Clayton Borough Constituency was redefined to comprise four wards: Beswick, Bradford, Miles Platting and Newton Heath. Miles Platting had previously formed part of the Manchester Platting seat.[4] The revised boundaries were first used in the 1950 general election.

Abolition

Following a report by the boundary commissioners appointed under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949, constituencies in the Manchester area were reorganised in 1955. The Clayton constituency was abolished, with its area divided between the Manchester Cheetham and Manchester Openshaw seats.[5]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1918 Edward Hopkinson Conservative
1922 by-election John Edward Sutton Labour
1922 William Henry Flanagan Conservative
1923 John Edward Sutton Labour
1931 William Henry Flanagan Conservative
1935 John Jagger Labour
1942 by-election Harry Thorneycroft Labour
1955 constituency abolished

History of the constituency

See Clayton, Greater Manchester

Election results

Election in the 1920s

General Election 1923: Manchester Clayton [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour John Edward Sutton 17,255 56.7
Unionist William Henry Flanagan 13,164 43.3
Majority 4,091 13.4
Turnout 83.5
Labour gain from Unionist Swing
General Election 1929: Manchester Clayton [7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour John Edward Sutton 21,103 55.0
Unionist William Henry Flanagan 14,062 36.7
Liberal Charles Herbert Travis 3,207 8.3
Majority 7,041 18.3
Turnout
Labour hold Swing

Election in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Manchester Clayton
Manchester County Borough wards of Beswick, Bradford and Newton Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative William Henry Flanagan 22,072 56.25
Labour John Edward Sutton 17,169 43.75
Majority 4,903 12.5

Election in the 1940s

Manchester Clayton by-election, 1942[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Harry Thorneycroft 8,892 93.3 +39.4
Independent E. H. Foot 636 6.7 N/A
Majority 8,256 86.6 +79.2
Turnout 20.8 -56.2
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1945: Manchester Clayton
Manchester County Borough wards of Beswick, Bradford and Newton Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Harry Thorneycroft 22,401 69.4
Conservative P Smith 9,883 30.6
Majority 12,518 37.8
Labour hold Swing
Turnout 69.6

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950: Manchester Clayton
Manchester County Borough wards of Beswick, Bradford, Miles Platting and Newton Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Harry Thorneycroft 29,128 63.0 -6.4
Conservative D H Broome 14,800 32.0 +1.4
Liberal Herbert Walls 2,295 5.0 +5.0
Majority 14,328 31.0 -6.8
General Election 1951: Manchester Clayton
Manchester County Borough wards of Beswick, Bradford, Miles Platting and Newton Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Harry Thorneycroft 27,985 63.5 +0.5
Conservative M S Grant 16,122 36.5 +4.5
Majority 11,863 26.9 -1.4

References

  1. ↑ "Parliamentary Borough of Manchester" in Schedule part II of "Report of the Boundary Commission (England and Wales), 1917", Cd. 8756.
  2. ↑ "Parliament", The Times, 30 November 1917, p. 12.
  3. ↑ Ninth Schedule, Part I: Parliamentary Boroughs, 1918 c.64 sch.9
  4. ↑ First Schedule: Parliamentary Constituencies, 1948 c.65 sch.1
  5. ↑ Parliamentary Constituencies (Manchester, Oldham and Ashton under Lyne) Order, 1955 (S.I. 1955 No.16)
  6. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  7. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  8. ↑ F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-49, p.186

Sources

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