The seat has been relative to others a marginal seat since 2005, as the winner's majority has not exceeded 8.2% of the vote since the 30% majority won in that year. The seat has changed hands twice electorally since that year and once through resigning the party whip.
Constituency profileedit
This is an affluent, left-leaning and pro-European seat[2] covering the northwestern portion of Edinburgh. It is mostly suburban, but takes in rural areas within the council area including Kirkliston and South Queensferry. Edinburgh Airport and Murrayfield Stadium are within the seat.
Boundariesedit
Map of present boundaries
1885–1918: The St. Andrew, St. Stephen, St. Bernard and St. Luke wards of the municipal burgh of Edinburgh.[3]
1918–1950: The Dalry, Gorgie, Haymarket and St. Bernard's wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.[4]
1950–1955: The Corstorphine, Murrayfield-Cramond, St. Bernard's and Pilton wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.[5]
1955–1974: The Corstorphine (with the exception of the area added by the Edinburgh Corporation Order Confirmation Act 1954), Murrayfield-Cramond, and Pilton wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh, and part of the St. Bernard's ward.[6]
1974–1983: The Corstorphine and Murrayfield-Cramond wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh, and that part of Pilton ward which is not included in the Edinburgh Leith constituency.[7]
1983–1997: Electoral divisions 11 (Cramond/Parkgrove), 15 (Corstorphine North), 16 (Telford/Blackhall), 19 (Corstorphine South) and 26 (Moat/Stenhouse) in the City of Edinburgh.[8]
1997–2005: Electoral divisions 11 (Queensferry/Kirkliston), 12 (Cramond/Blackhall), 13 (Drylaw/Muirhouse), 16 (Corstorphine North), and 21 (Corstorphine South) in the City of Edinburgh.[9]
The seat was created when the Edinburgh constituency was abolished, in 1885, replaced by four seats: Edinburgh East, Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh South and Edinburgh West. The Central constituency was abolished in 2005. The East constituency was abolished in 1997, but a new Edinburgh East was created in 2005. The South and West constituencies have been in continuous use (with alterations to boundaries) since 1885.
Constituency boundaries were revised for the 2005 election: Edinburgh West was enlarged, to include an area formerly within Edinburgh Central, and became one of five seats covering the city area.[10]
^"Chap. 23. Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885". The Public General Acts of the United Kingdom passed in the forty-eighth and forty-ninth years of the reign of Queen Victoria. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1885. pp. 111–198.
^Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the People Act, 1918: with explanatory notes. London: Sweet and Maxwell.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) (Edinburgh North and Edinburgh West) Order 1955. SI 1955/28". Statutory Instruments 1955. Part II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1956. pp. 2194–2195.
^Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)
^Michael Davidson [@Michael4EdWest] (16 April 2024). "It's the greatest privilege of my life so far to have been selected as the @ScottishLabour candidate for @EdWestCLP. Only Labour can offer change to people right across the UK and I'm looking forward to taking our message to people on the doorsteps in the months to come 🌹" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^"UK Parliamentary General Election - 12 December 2019". The City of Edinburgh Council. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
^"Edinburgh West parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
^"Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
^"Who you can vote for: UK Parliamentary General Election 8 June 2017 candidates". City of Edinburgh Council. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
^"Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
^"Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^Council, The City of Edinburgh. "The City of Edinburgh Council download - UK Parliamentary election results 2015 - Council and democracy - Elections and voting - Election results". www.edinburgh.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
^"Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"Lib Dems' Barrett to quit as MP". BBC News. 25 July 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
^"BBC NEWS – Election 2010 – Edinburgh West". BBC News.
^"Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Political Science Resources: links to UK and US politics". www.psr.keele.ac.uk.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
^"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.