Birmingham West (UK Parliament constituency)

Birmingham West was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP), elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.

Birmingham West
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1950
Number of membersOne
Replaced byBirmingham Aston and Birmingham Ladywood
Created fromBirmingham

It was created upon the abolition of the 3-seat Birmingham constituency in 1885 and abolished in 1950.

Boundaries

Before 1885 the city of Birmingham had been a three-member constituency (see Birmingham (UK Parliament constituency) for further details). Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 the parliamentary borough of Birmingham was split into seven single-member divisions, one of which was Birmingham West. It consisted of All Saints' and St Paul's wards and part of Rotton Park ward.

In the 1918 redistribution of parliamentary seats, the Representation of the People Act 1918 provided for twelve Birmingham divisions - one of which was designated as the Birmingham West constituency. In 1945 one of the other Birmingham seats was split in two, as it had over 100,000 electors, but that change did not affect the other divisions. The Birmingham West constituency in 1918 consisted of the County Borough of Birmingham ward of St Paul's and parts of All Saints' and Lozells wards.

In the redistribution which took effect in the 1950 United Kingdom general election, the Representation of the People Act 1948 redivided Birmingham into thirteen constituencies. The West division was abolished. St Paul's and Lozells wards became part of Birmingham Aston. All Saints' ward became part of Birmingham Ladywood.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1885 Joseph Chamberlain Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1912 Conservative
1914 by-election Sir Austen Chamberlain Conservative
1918 Coalition Conservative
1922 Conservative
1937 by-election Walter Higgs Conservative
1945 Charles Simmons Labour
1950 Constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: Birmingham, West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Joseph Chamberlain 5,419 67.1 N/A
Conservative John Dumphreys 2,655 32.9 N/A
Majority 2,764 34.2 N/A
Turnout 8,074 78.2 N/A
Registered electors 10,329
Liberal win (new seat)

Chamberlain was appointed President of the Local Government Board, requiring a by-election.

Birmingham, West: by-election, 9 February 1886[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Joseph Chamberlain Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1886: Birmingham, West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Unionist Joseph Chamberlain Unopposed
Registered electors 10,329
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Birmingham, West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Unionist Joseph Chamberlain 6,297 76.7 n/a
Liberal Corrie Grant 1,879 22.9 n/a
Independent Labour J.W. Mahony 31 0.4 n/a
Majority 4,418 53.8 n/a
Turnout 8,207 71.0 n/a
Registered electors 11,554
Liberal Unionist hold Swing n/a
Birmingham, West: by-election, 1 July 1895[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Unionist Joseph Chamberlain Unopposed
Liberal Unionist hold
General election 1895: Birmingham, West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Unionist Joseph Chamberlain 5,537 81.5 +4.8
Liberal Bernard O'Connor 1,259 18.5 −4.4
Majority 4,278 63.0 +9.2
Turnout 6,796 58.3 −12.7
Registered electors 11,647
Liberal Unionist hold Swing +4.6

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Birmingham, West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Unionist Joseph Chamberlain Unopposed
Registered electors 13,035
Liberal Unionist hold
RL Outhwaite
General election 1906: Birmingham, West[1] Electorate
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Unionist Joseph Chamberlain 7,173 77.4 N/A
Liberal R. L. Outhwaite 2,094 22.6 N/A
Majority 5,079 54.8 N/A
Turnout 9,267 74.2 N/A
Registered electors 12,483
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Birmingham, West
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Unionist Joseph Chamberlain Unopposed
Liberal Unionist hold
General election December 1910: Birmingham, West
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Unionist Joseph Chamberlain Unopposed
Liberal Unionist hold
Birmingham, West: by-election, 14 July 1914
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Austen Chamberlain Unopposed
Unionist hold
Birmingham, West: by-election, 25 April 1918
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Austen Chamberlain Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1918: Birmingham, West
Party Candidate Votes % ±
C Unionist Austen Chamberlain Unopposed
Unionist hold
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s
By-election, 1921: Birmingham West [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
C Unionist Austen Chamberlain Unopposed
Unionist hold
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.
General election 1922: Birmingham West [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Austen Chamberlain 15,405 61.6 N/A
Labour Frank Smith 9,599 38.4 N/A
Majority 5,806 23.2 N/A
Turnout 25,004 67.1 N/A
Registered electors 37,263
Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1923: Birmingham West [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Austen Chamberlain 13,940 58.3 −3.3
Labour Frank Smith 9,983 41.7 +3.3
Majority 3,957 16.6 −6.6
Turnout 23,923 63.9 −3.2
Registered electors 37,433
Unionist hold Swing −3.3
General election 1924: Birmingham West [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Austen Chamberlain 14,801 67.4 +9.1
Communist Robert Dunstan 7,158 32.6 N/A
Majority 7,643 34.8 +18.2
Turnout 21,959 58.2 −5.7
Registered electors 37,754
Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1929: Birmingham West [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Austen Chamberlain 16,862 50.1 −17.3
Labour George Willey 16,819 49.9 N/A
Majority 43 0.2 −34.6
Turnout 33,681 73.9 +15.1
Registered electors 45,593
Unionist hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1931: Birmingham, West
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Austen Chamberlain 22,448 68.12
Labour George Willey 10,507 31.88
Majority 11,941 36.23
Turnout 75.86
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1935: Birmingham, West
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Austen Chamberlain 16,530 64.35
Labour George Willey 9,159 35.65
Majority 7,371 28.69
Turnout 63.59
Conservative hold Swing
By Election 1937: Birmingham, West
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Walter Higgs 12,552 56.58
Labour Richard Crossman 9,632 43.42
Majority 2,920 13.16
Turnout 22,184
Conservative hold Swing

Elections 1940s
General election 1945: Birmingham, West
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Charles Simmons 12,639 63.54
Conservative Walter Higgs 7,253 36.46
Majority 5,386 27.08
Turnout 66.94
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
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See also
  • List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies

References
  1. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  2. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
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