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Leith — UK General Election Results

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

Leith was won by Labour at the 1945 general election, with a majority of 9,455 votes over National Liberal. This page covers every general election in Leith from 1918 to 1945.

Full Election History, 1918–1945

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1918 William Wedgwood Benn (Liberal) 10,338 46.6% George Welsh Currie (Unionist) 2,725 (12.3 pts) 52.2%
1922 William Wedgwood Benn (Liberal) 13,971 50.1% Alexander Munro MacRobert (Unionist) 6,599 (23.6 pts) 71.5%
1923 William Wedgwood Benn (Liberal) 15,004 64.5% Robert Freeman Wilson (Labour) 6,737 (28.9 pts) 59.1%
1924 William Wedgwood Benn (Liberal) 16,569 59.6% Robert Freeman Wilson (Labour) 5,319 (19.1 pts) 70.5%
1929 Alfred Ernest Brown (Liberal) 20,613 56.7% Alan Paton (Labour) 4,898 (13.5 pts) 71.5%
1931 Alfred Ernest Brown (National Liberal) 24,847 65.0% Arthur Woodburn (Labour) 11,447 (29.9 pts) 75.0%
1935 Alfred Ernest Brown (National Liberal) 18,888 57.8% David Cleghorn Thomson (Labour) 5,070 (15.5 pts) 65.5%
1945 James Hutchison Hoy (Labour) 19,571 60.8% Ernest Brown (National Liberal) 9,455 (29.4 pts) 69.1%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Wedgwood Benn Liberal 10,33846.6% Yes
George Welsh Currie Unionist 7,61334.3% No
Stanley Burgess Labour 4,25119.1% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Wedgwood Benn Liberal 13,97150.1% Yes
Alexander Munro MacRobert Unionist 7,37226.4% No
Robert Freeman Wilson Labour 6,56723.5% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Wedgwood Benn Liberal 15,00464.5% Yes
Robert Freeman Wilson Labour 8,26735.5% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Wedgwood Benn Liberal 16,56959.6% Yes
Robert Freeman Wilson Labour 11,25040.4% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alfred Ernest Brown Liberal 20,61356.7% Yes
Alan Paton Labour 15,71543.3% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alfred Ernest Brown National Liberal 24,84765.0% Yes
Arthur Woodburn Labour 13,40035.0% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alfred Ernest Brown National Liberal 18,88857.8% Yes
David Cleghorn Thomson Labour 13,81842.2% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Hutchison Hoy Labour 19,57160.8% Yes
Ernest Brown National Liberal 10,11631.4% No
John Cormack Protestant Action Society 2,4937.7% No

Margin Over Time

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

1918: Liberal margin 12.3 pts 1922: Liberal margin 23.6 pts 1923: Liberal margin 28.9 pts 1924: Liberal margin 19.1 pts 1929: Liberal margin 13.5 pts 1931: National Liberal margin 29.9 pts 1935: National Liberal margin 15.5 pts 1945: Labour margin 29.4 pts 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945

Trend

Leith has been contested at 8 general elections on record since 1918. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, National Liberal, Labour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Leith in the 1945 general election?

Labour won Leith in 1945 with 19,571 votes (60.8%), a majority of 9,455 votes over National Liberal in second place.

Which parties have won Leith since 1918?

Since 1918, Leith has been won by: Labour, Liberal, National Liberal.

What was the closest result in Leith?

The closest result on record for Leith was 1918, when Liberal beat Unionist by just 2,725 votes (12.3 percentage points).

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