Leeds South was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election. It was then largely replaced by the new Morley and Leeds South constituency.
It was the seat of the former Leader of the Labour Party, the late Hugh Gaitskell, and the former Home Secretary Merlyn Rees.
1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Leeds wards of East Hunslet, South, and West Hunslet, and part of Bramley ward.
1918–1950: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Holbeck and West Hunslet, and part of New Wortley ward.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck South, Hunslet Carr and Middleton, and West Hunslet.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, Holbeck, Hunslet Carr, and Middleton.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Beeston, East Hunslet, Holbeck, Middleton, and West Hunslet.
The constituency was created in 1885 by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was first used in the general election of that year. Leeds had previously been represented by two MPs (1832–1868) and three MPs (1868–1885). From 1885 it was represented by five single-member constituencies: Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North, Leeds South and Leeds West. The constituencies of Morley, Otley and Pudsey were also created in 1885.
The constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election. It was then largely replaced by the new Morley and Leeds South constituency. After the 1983 general election Leeds was represented by the constituencies of Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North East, Leeds North West, Leeds West and Morley and Leeds South. There were also constituencies of Elmet (created 1983) and Pudsey.
Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: Leeds South [2][3]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Liberal | Lyon Playfair | 5,208 | 64.5 | |
| Conservative | Stuart Cunningham Macaskie | 2,869 | 35.5 | |
Majority | 2,339 | 29.0 | |
---|
Turnout | 8,077 | 73.9 | |
---|
Registered electors | 10,931 | | |
---|
| Liberal win (new seat) |
Playfair was appointed Vice-President of the Committee of the Council on Education, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 12 Feb 1886: Leeds South [2]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Liberal | Lyon Playfair | Unopposed |
---|
| Liberal hold |
General election 1886: Leeds South [2][3]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Liberal | Lyon Playfair | 4,665 | 61.5 | −3.0 |
| Conservative | Thomas Hirst Bracken[4] | 2,924 | 38.5 | +3.0 |
Majority | 1,741 | 23.0 | −6.0 |
---|
Turnout | 7,589 | 69.4 | −4.5 |
---|
Registered electors | 10,931 | | |
---|
| Liberal hold | Swing | −3.0 | |
---|
Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Leeds South [2][3]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Liberal | Lyon Playfair | 4,829 | 59.4 | -2.1 |
| Conservative | Reginald Neville | 3,294 | 40.6 | +2.1 |
Majority | 1,535 | 18.8 | −4.2 |
---|
Turnout | 8,123 | 71.9 | +2.5 |
---|
Registered electors | 11,290 | | |
---|
| Liberal hold | Swing | −2.1 | |
---|
By-election, 22 Sep 1892[2][3][5]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Liberal | John Walton | 4,414 | 56.0 | −3.4 |
| Conservative | Reginald Neville | 3,466 | 44.0 | +3.4 |
Majority | 948 | 12.0 | −6.8 |
---|
Turnout | 7,880 | 69.8 | −2.1 |
---|
Registered electors | 11,290 | | |
---|
| Liberal hold | Swing | −3.4 | |
---|
- Caused by Playfair's elevation to the peerage.
General election 1895: Leeds South [2][3][5]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Liberal | John Walton | 4,608 | 47.6 | −11.8 |
| Conservative | Reginald Neville | 4,447 | 46.0 | +5.4 |
| Ind. Labour Party | Alfred Shaw | 622 | 6.4 | New |
Majority | 161 | 1.6 | −17.2 |
---|
Turnout | 9,677 | 81.2 | +9.3 |
---|
Registered electors | 11,921 | | |
---|
| Liberal hold | Swing | −8.6 | |
---|
Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Leeds South [2][3][5]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Liberal | John Walton | 4,952 | 51.2 | +3.6 |
| Conservative | Reginald Neville | 4,718 | 48.8 | +2.8 |
Majority | 234 | 2.4 | +0.8 |
---|
Turnout | 9,670 | 71.9 | −9.3 |
---|
Registered electors | 13,442 | | |
---|
| Liberal hold | Swing | +0.4 | |
---|
General election 1906: Leeds South [2][3]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Liberal | John Walton | 6,200 | 50.2 | −1.0 |
| Labour Repr. Cmte. | Albert E. Fox | 4,030 | 32.6 | New |
| Conservative | Henry Cameron-Ramsay-Fairfax-Lucy | 2,126 | 17.2 | −31.6 |
Majority | 2,170 | 17.6 | +15.2 |
---|
Turnout | 12,356 | 81.7 | +9.8 |
---|
Registered electors | 15,119 | | |
---|
| Liberal hold | Swing | +15.3 | |
---|
1908 Leeds South by-electionParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Liberal | William Middlebrook | 5,274 | 41.7 | −8.5 |
| Conservative | Reginald Neville | 4,915 | 38.9 | +21.7 |
| Labour | Albert E. Fox | 2,451 | 19.4 | −13.2 |
Majority | 359 | 2.8 | −14.8 |
---|
Turnout | 12,640 | 82.5 | +0.8 |
---|
Registered electors | 15,321 | | |
---|
| Liberal hold | Swing | +2.4 | |
---|
Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Leeds South [2][6]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Liberal | William Middlebrook | 8,969 | 67.3 | +17.1 |
| Conservative | William Nicholson | 4,366 | 32.7 | +15.5 |
Majority | 4,603 | 34.6 | +31.8 |
---|
Turnout | 13,335 | 84.8 | +3.1 |
---|
| Liberal hold | Swing | +15.9 | |
---|
General election December 1910: Leeds South [2][6]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Liberal | William Middlebrook | 6,064 | 48.2 | -19.1 |
| Conservative | William Nicholson | 3,804 | 30.3 | -2.4 |
| Labour | John Badlay | 2,706 | 21.5 | New |
Majority | 2,260 | 17.9 | -16.7 |
---|
Turnout | 12,574 | 80.0 | -4.8 |
---|
| Liberal hold | Swing | | |
---|
General Election 1914/15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
- Liberal: William Middlebrook
- Unionist:
- Labour:
General election 14 December 1918:Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
C | Liberal | William Middlebrook | 10,609 | 60.6 | +12.4 |
| Labour | Frank Fountain | 5,510 | 31.5 | +10.0 |
| Independent | James A Brook* | 1,377 | 7.9 | New |
Majority | 5,099 | 29.1 | +11.2 |
---|
Turnout | 17,496 | 48.8 | −31.2 |
---|
Registered electors | 35,843 | | |
---|
| Liberal hold | Swing | +1.2 | |
---|
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
* Brook was supported by the three local branches of National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers, National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers and Comrades of the Great War.
Elections in the 1920s
General election 1922: Leeds South [7]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Henry Charleton | 13,210 | 53.7 | +22.2 |
| Liberal | William Middlebrook | 11,380 | 46.3 | −14.3 |
Majority | 1,830 | 7.4 | N/A |
---|
Turnout | 24,590 | 69.8 | +21.0 |
---|
Registered electors | 35,252 | | |
---|
| Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +18.3 | |
---|
General election 1923: Leeds South [7]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Henry Charleton | 11,705 | 44.2 | −9.5 |
| Unionist | Reginald Neville | 7,679 | 29.0 | New |
| Liberal | Granville Gibson | 7,083 | 26.8 | −19.5 |
Majority | 4,026 | 15.2 | +7.8 |
---|
Turnout | 26,467 | 74.1 | +4.3 |
---|
Registered electors | 35,719 | | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | +5.0 | |
---|
General election 1924: Leeds South [7]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Henry Charleton | 12,799 | 46.3 | +2.1 |
| Unionist | B.T. Graham Ford | 11,008 | 39.9 | +10.9 |
| Liberal | Frank Geary | 3,801 | 13.8 | −13.0 |
Majority | 1,791 | 6.4 | −8.8 |
---|
Turnout | 27,608 | 76.5 | +2.4 |
---|
Registered electors | 36,085 | | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | −4.4 | |
---|
General election 1929: Leeds South [7]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Henry Charleton | 18,043 | 52.5 | +6.2 |
| Unionist | B.T. Graham Ford | 9,433 | 27.5 | −12.4 |
| Liberal | Ernest Kilburn Scott | 6,884 | 20.0 | +6.2 |
Majority | 8,610 | 25.0 | +18.6 |
---|
Turnout | 34,360 | 76.2 | −0.3 |
---|
Registered electors | 45,084 | | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | +9.3 | |
---|
Elections in the 1930s
General election 1931: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Conservative | Noel Whiteside | 14,881 | 42.12 | |
| Labour | Henry Charleton | 14,156 | 40.07 | |
| Liberal | Frederick L. Boult | 6,291 | 17.81 | |
Majority | 725 | 2.05 | N/A |
---|
Turnout | 35,328 | 77.56 | |
---|
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
---|
General election 1935: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Henry Charleton | 15,223 | 46.03 | |
| Conservative | Noel Whiteside | 14,207 | 42.96 | |
| Social Credit | Wilfred Townend | 3,642 | 11.01 | New |
Majority | 1,016 | 3.07 | N/A |
---|
Turnout | 33,072 | 73.68 | |
---|
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
---|
General Election 1939/40:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
- Labour: Hugh Gaitskell[8]
- Conservative: Donald Kaberry[8]
- Liberal: J. Alun Williams[9]
- British Union: John Angus Macnab
Election in the 1940s
General election 1945: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 17,899 | 61.03 | |
| Conservative | Arthur Maxwell Ramsden | 7,497 | 25.56 | |
| Liberal | William Barford | 3,933 | 13.41 | New |
Majority | 10,402 | 35.47 | |
---|
Turnout | 29,329 | 75.95 | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|
Elections in the 1950s
General election 1950: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 29,795 | 61.11 | |
| Conservative | B.H. Wood | 14,436 | 29.61 | |
| Liberal | Edgar Meeks | 4,525 | 9.28 | |
Majority | 15,359 | 31.50 | |
---|
Turnout | 48,756 | 84.61 | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|
General election 1951: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 30,712 | 65.06 | |
| Conservative | Winifred D. Brown | 16,493 | 34.94 | |
Majority | 14,219 | 30.12 | |
---|
Turnout | 47,205 | 82.19 | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|
General election 1955: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 25,833 | 65.15 | |
| Conservative | Winifred D. Brown | 13,817 | 34.85 | |
Majority | 12,016 | 30.30 | |
---|
Turnout | 39,650 | 72.85 | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|
General election 1959: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Hugh Gaitskell | 24,442 | 58.6 | -6.5 |
| Conservative | John Francis William Addey | 12,956 | 31.0 | -3.8 |
| Liberal | John Brian Meeks | 4,340 | 10.4 | New |
Majority | 11,486 | 27.6 | -2.7 |
---|
Turnout | 41,738 | 79.0 | +6.2 |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|
Elections in the 1960s
1963 Leeds South by-electionParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Merlyn Rees | 18,785 | 62.9 | +4.3 |
| Conservative | John Udal | 5,996 | 20.09 | -10.95 |
| Liberal | Brian Walsh (lawyer) | 4,399 | 14.74 | +4.34 |
| Communist | Bert Ramelson | 670 | 2.24 | New |
Majority | 12,789 | 42.84 | +15.32 |
---|
Turnout | 29,850 | | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|
General election 1964: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Merlyn Rees | 22,339 | 63.12 | |
| Conservative | Percival Arthur Woodward | 12,123 | 34.26 | |
| Communist | Bert Ramelson | 928 | 2.62 | N/A |
Majority | 10,997 | 28.86 | |
---|
Turnout | 35,390 | 72.00 | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|
General election 1966: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Merlyn Rees | 23,171 | 68.76 | |
| Conservative | Percival Arthur Woodward | 9,813 | 29.12 | |
| Communist | Bert Ramelson | 714 | 2.12 | |
Majority | 13,358 | 39.64 | |
---|
Turnout | 33,698 | 68.11 | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|
Election in the 1970s
General election 1970: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Merlyn Rees | 19,536 | 59.82 | |
| Conservative | Gavin K. Macpherson | 9,311 | 28.51 | |
| Liberal | Stephen Cooksey | 3,810 | 11.67 | New |
Majority | 10,225 | 31.31 | |
---|
Turnout | 32,657 | 65.95 | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|
General election February 1974: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Merlyn Rees | 21,365 | 55.24 | |
| Liberal | Denis Pedder | 9,505 | 24.57 | |
| Conservative | Peter David Harmer | 7,810 | 20.19 | |
Majority | 11,860 | 30.67 | |
---|
Turnout | 38,680 | 73.95 | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|
General election October 1974: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Merlyn Rees | 21,653 | 64.44 | |
| Conservative | Thomas Neil Metcalfe Stow | 6,388 | 19.01 | |
| Liberal | John Adams | 5,563 | 16.55 | |
Majority | 15,265 | 45.43 | |
---|
Turnout | 33,604 | 63.76 | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|
General election 1979: Leeds South Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|
| Labour | Merlyn Rees | 22,388 | 65.02 | |
| Conservative | R. Ratcliffe | 8,058 | 23.40 | |
| Liberal | F. Hurst | 3,568 | 10.36 | |
| National Front | B. Spink | 416 | 1.21 | New |
Majority | 14,330 | 41.62 | |
---|
Turnout | 35,430 | 68.70 | |
---|
| Labour hold | Swing | | |
---|