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Greenock — UK General Election Results

Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30

Greenock was won by Labour at the 1970 general election, with a majority of 3,234 votes over Liberal. This page covers every general election in Greenock from 1832 to 1970.

Full Election History, 1832–1970

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1832 Robert Wallace (Whig) 493 65.3% John Fairrie (Conservative) 231 (30.6 pts) 76.6%
1835 Robert Wallace (Whig) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1837 Robert Wallace (Whig) 401 66.5% James Smith (Conservative) 199 (33.0 pts) 56.6%
1841 Robert Wallace (Whig) 406 56.8% Thomas John Cochrane (Conservative) 97 (13.6 pts) 64.2%
1847 William Hugh Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (Whig) 456 59.1% Alexander Murray-Dunlop (Whig) 141 (18.3 pts) 70.8%
1852 Alexander Murray-Dunlop (Whig) 470 64.9% James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone (Conservative) 216 (29.8 pts) 62.2%
1857 Alexander Murray-Dunlop (Whig) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1859 Alexander Murray-Dunlop (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1865 Alexander Murray-Dunlop (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1868 James Johnston Grieve (Liberal) 2,962 58.6% William Dougal Christie (Independent Liberal) 870 (17.2 pts) 81.2%
1874 James Johnston Grieve (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1880 James Stewart (Liberal) 3,351 60.8% John Scott (Conservative) 1,189 (21.6 pts) 76.5%
1885 Thomas Sutherland (Liberal) 3,057 50.3% John Scott (Conservative) 103 (1.7 pts) 85.2%
1886 Thomas Sutherland (Liberal Unionist) 2,905 56.8% Harold Wright (Liberal) 697 (13.6 pts) 71.7%
1892 Thomas Sutherland (Liberal Unionist) 2,942 50.5% John Bruce (Liberal) 55 (0.9 pts) 83.4%
1895 Thomas Sutherland (Liberal Unionist) 3,571 56.5% Alfred Ewen Fletcher (Liberal-Labour) 818 (12.9 pts) 83.5%
1900 James Reid (Conservative) 3,165 52.3% John Maconie (Liberal) 279 (4.6 pts) 79.7%
1906 Halley Stewart (Liberal) 3,596 52.5% James Reid (Conservative) 342 (5.0 pts) 87.6%
Dec 1910 Godfrey Pattison Collins (Liberal) 4,338 59.8% Samuel Chapman (Conservative) 1,425 (19.7 pts) 88.9%
Jan 1910 Godfrey Pattison Collins (Liberal) 4,233 61.7% James Parker Smith (Liberal Unionist) 1,601 (23.3 pts) 87.4%
1918 Godfrey Pattison Collins (Liberal) 10,933 48.0% Samuel Chapman (Unionist) 3,687 (16.2 pts) 66.6%
1922 Godfrey Pattison Collins (Liberal) 10,520 36.7% Alexander Geddes (Communist) 744 (2.6 pts) 84.8%
1923 Godfrey Pattison Collins (Liberal) 16,337 61.3% Alexander Geddes (Communist) 6,002 (22.5 pts) 78.4%
1924 Godfrey Pattison Collins (Liberal) 12,752 48.6% Alexander Geddes (Communist) 5,162 (19.7 pts) 77.8%
1929 Godfrey Pattison Collins (Liberal) 11,190 32.5% William Leonard (Labour) 1,493 (4.3 pts) 78.7%
1931 Godfrey Pattison Collins (National Liberal) 18,013 51.0% Thomas Irwin (Labour) 7,163 (20.3 pts) 80.3%
1935 Godfrey Pattison Collins (National Liberal) 20,299 52.7% Thomas Irwin (Labour) 3,354 (8.7 pts) 84.4%
1945 Hector McNeil (Labour) 16,186 47.1% Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton (Unionist) 8,089 (23.5 pts) 68.0%
1950 Hector McNeil (Labour) 20,548 50.6% Ian McColl (Liberal) 8,909 (21.9 pts) 83.2%
1951 Hector McNeil (Labour) 23,452 57.1% Ross Maclean (Unionist) 5,837 (14.2 pts) 83.0%
1955 Hector McNeil (Labour) 19,378 51.4% Ian MacArthur (Unionist) 1,033 (2.7 pts) 77.9%
1959 Jesse Dickson Mabon (Labour) 19,320 50.6% William TC Riddell (Liberal) 9,082 (23.8 pts) 78.9%
1964 Jesse Dickson Mabon (Labour) 19,627 55.1% Campbell M Barclay (Liberal) 10,572 (29.7 pts) 76.5%
1966 Jesse Mabon (Labour) 18,988 57.1% Iain Will (Liberal) 11,261 (33.9 pts) 73.6%
1970 Jesse Mabon (Labour) 19,334 53.7% William Riddell (Liberal) 3,234 (9.0 pts) 76.0%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1832

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Wallace Whig 49365.3% Yes
John Fairrie Conservative 26234.7% No

1835

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Wallace Whig Unopposed Yes

1837

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Wallace Whig 40166.5% Yes
James Smith Conservative 20233.5% No

1841

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Wallace Whig 40656.8% Yes
Thomas John Cochrane Conservative 30943.2% No

1847

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Hugh Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound Whig 45659.1% Yes
Alexander Murray-Dunlop Whig 31540.9% No

1852

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander Murray-Dunlop Whig 47064.9% Yes
James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone Conservative 25435.1% No

1857

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander Murray-Dunlop Whig Unopposed Yes

1859

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander Murray-Dunlop Liberal Unopposed Yes

1865

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander Murray-Dunlop Liberal Unopposed Yes

1868

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Johnston Grieve Liberal 2,96258.6% Yes
William Dougal Christie Independent Liberal 2,09241.4% No

1874

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Johnston Grieve Liberal Unopposed Yes

1880

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Stewart Liberal 3,35160.8% Yes
John Scott Conservative 2,16239.2% No

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Sutherland Liberal 3,05750.3% Yes
John Scott Conservative 2,95448.6% No
John Morrison Davidson Scottish Land Restoration 651.1% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Sutherland Liberal Unionist 2,90556.8% Yes
Harold Wright Liberal 2,20843.2% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Sutherland Liberal Unionist 2,94250.5% Yes
John Bruce Liberal 2,88749.5% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Sutherland Liberal Unionist 3,57156.5% Yes
Alfred Ewen Fletcher Liberal-Labour 2,75343.5% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Reid Conservative 3,16552.3% Yes
John Maconie Liberal 2,88647.7% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Halley Stewart Liberal 3,59652.5% Yes
James Reid Conservative 3,25447.5% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Godfrey Pattison Collins Liberal 4,33859.8% Yes
Samuel Chapman Conservative 2,91340.2% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Godfrey Pattison Collins Liberal 4,23361.7% Yes
James Parker Smith Liberal Unionist 2,63238.3% No

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Godfrey Pattison Collins Liberal 10,93348.0% Yes
Samuel Chapman Unionist 7,24631.8% No
Frederick Shaw Labour 2,54211.2% No
Neal Haughey Greenock and District Dockers 2,0509.0% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Godfrey Pattison Collins Liberal 10,52036.7% Yes
Alexander Geddes Communist 9,77634.1% No
John Denholm Unionist 8,40429.3% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Godfrey Pattison Collins Liberal 16,33761.3% Yes
Alexander Geddes Communist 10,33538.7% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Godfrey Pattison Collins Liberal 12,75248.6% Yes
Alexander Geddes Communist 7,59029.0% No
Stephens Kelly Labour 5,87422.4% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Godfrey Pattison Collins Liberal 11,19032.5% Yes
William Leonard Labour 9,69728.2% No
Alexander Geddes Communist 7,00520.4% No
Andrew Dewar Gibb Unionist 6,51718.9% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Godfrey Pattison Collins National Liberal 18,01351.0% Yes
Thomas Irwin Labour 10,85030.7% No
Aitken Ferguson Communist 6,44018.2% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Godfrey Pattison Collins National Liberal 20,29952.7% Yes
Thomas Irwin Labour 16,94544.0% No
James Laid Kinlock SNP 1,2863.3% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Hector McNeil Labour 16,18647.1% Yes
Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton Unionist 8,09723.6% No
John Ross Campbell Communist 5,90017.2% No
George Gordon Honeyman Liberal 4,18012.2% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Hector McNeil Labour 20,54850.6% Yes
Ian McColl Liberal 11,63928.7% No
John Thomson Independent Labour 6,45815.9% No
John Ross Campbell Communist 1,2283.0% No
William Oliver Brown Anti-Partition 7181.8% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Hector McNeil Labour 23,45257.1% Yes
Ross Maclean Unionist 17,61542.9% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Hector McNeil Labour 19,37851.4% Yes
Ian MacArthur Unionist 18,34548.6% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Jesse Dickson Mabon Labour 19,32050.6% Yes
William TC Riddell Liberal 10,23826.8% No
Leonard Mackenzie Turpie Unionist 8,61622.6% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Jesse Dickson Mabon Labour 19,62755.1% Yes
Campbell M Barclay Liberal 9,05525.4% No
Duncan Robert Gordon Sillars Unionist 6,47318.2% No
John Stevenson Thomson Independent Labour 4581.3% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Jesse Mabon Labour 18,98857.1% Yes
Iain Will Liberal 7,72723.2% No
Ronald Dundas Conservative 5,83517.5% No
William Dunn Communist 7022.1% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Jesse Mabon Labour 19,33453.7% Yes
William Riddell Liberal 16,10044.7% No
Alex Murray Communist 5591.6% No

Margin Over Time

Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.

1832: Whig margin 30.6 pts 1837: Whig margin 33.0 pts 1841: Whig margin 13.6 pts 1847: Whig margin 18.3 pts 1852: Whig margin 29.8 pts 1868: Liberal margin 17.2 pts 1880: Liberal margin 21.6 pts 1885: Liberal margin 1.7 pts 1886: Liberal Unionist margin 13.6 pts 1892: Liberal Unionist margin 0.9 pts 1895: Liberal Unionist margin 12.9 pts 1900: Conservative margin 4.6 pts 1906: Liberal margin 5.0 pts Dec 1910: Liberal margin 19.7 pts Jan 1910: Liberal margin 23.3 pts 1918: Liberal margin 16.2 pts 1922: Liberal margin 2.6 pts 1923: Liberal margin 22.5 pts 1924: Liberal margin 19.7 pts 1929: Liberal margin 4.3 pts 1931: National Liberal margin 20.3 pts 1935: National Liberal margin 8.7 pts 1945: Labour margin 23.5 pts 1950: Labour margin 21.9 pts 1951: Labour margin 14.2 pts 1955: Labour margin 2.7 pts 1959: Labour margin 23.8 pts 1964: Labour margin 29.7 pts 1966: Labour margin 33.9 pts 1970: Labour margin 9.0 pts 1832 1837 1841 1847 1852 1868 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 Dec 1910 Jan 1910 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970

Trend

Greenock has been contested at 35 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Liberal, Liberal Unionist, Conservative, National Liberal, Labour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Greenock in the 1970 general election?

Labour won Greenock in 1970 with 19,334 votes (53.7%), a majority of 3,234 votes over Liberal in second place.

Which parties have won Greenock since 1832?

Since 1832, Greenock has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Liberal Unionist, National Liberal, Whig.

What was the closest result in Greenock?

The closest result on record for Greenock was 1892, when Liberal Unionist beat Liberal by just 55 votes (0.9 percentage points).

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