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Paisley — UK General Election Results

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

Paisley was won by Labour at the 1979 general election, with a majority of 13,755 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Paisley from 1832 to 1979.

Full Election History, 1832–1979

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1832 John Maxwell (Whig) 775 81.2% John McKerrell (Conservative) 595 (62.3 pts) 76.9%
1835 Alexander Graham Speirs (Whig) 661 58.1% Horatio Ross (Conservative) 184 (16.2 pts) 75.4%
1837 Archibald Hastie (Radical) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1841 Archibald Hastie (Radical) 157 100.0% William Thomason (Chartist) 157 (100.0 pts) 11.9%
1847 Archibald Hastie (Radical) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1852 Archibald Hastie (Radical) 406 52.1% William Taylor Haly (Radical) 32 (4.1 pts) 58.1%
1857 Archibald Hastie (Radical) 611 53.6% Humphrey Ewing Crum-Ewing (Whig) 87 (7.6 pts) 87.3%
1859 Humphrey Ewing Crum-Ewing (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1865 Humphrey Ewing Crum-Ewing (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1868 Humphrey Ewing Crum-Ewing (Liberal) 1,576 54.0% Archibald Campbell Campbell (Conservative) 655 (22.4 pts) 89.4%
1874 William Holms (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1880 William Holms (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1885 William Boyle Barbour (Liberal) 3,390 57.3% Robert Mure McKerrell (Conservative) 867 (14.7 pts) 87.0%
1886 William Boyle Barbour (Liberal) 3,057 55.1% James Parker Smith (Liberal Unionist) 566 (10.2 pts) 81.7%
1892 William Dunn (Liberal) 4,262 63.6% Christopher Nicholson Johnston (Conservative) 1,821 (27.2 pts) 81.5%
1895 William Dunn (Liberal) 4,404 59.0% Alexander Moffat (Conservative) 1,342 (18.0 pts) 82.0%
1900 William Dunn (Liberal) 4,532 56.6% George Sitwell Campbell Swinton (Conservative) 1,058 (13.2 pts) 74.4%
1906 John Mills McCallum (Liberal) 5,664 52.7% James Anderson Dunlop MacKean (Liberal Unionist) 3,070 (28.6 pts) 88.2%
Jan 1910 John Mills McCallum (Liberal) 6,812 63.7% Duncan Frederick Campbell (Conservative) 2,922 (27.3 pts) 86.8%
Dec 1910 John Mills McCallum (Liberal) 6,039 64.3% Alfred Roger Jephcott (Conservative) 2,689 (28.6 pts) 74.9%
1918 John Mills McCallum (Liberal) 7,542 34.0% John McLaren Biggar (Co-operative) 106 (0.5 pts) 57.6%
1922 Herbert Henry Asquith (Liberal) 15,005 50.5% John McLaren Biggar (Labour) 316 (1.1 pts) 78.0%
1923 Herbert Henry Asquith (Liberal) 9,723 33.4% John McLaren Biggar (Labour) 1,746 (6.0 pts) 77.1%
1924 Edward Rosslyn Mitchell (Labour) 17,057 53.5% Herbert Henry Asquith (Liberal) 2,228 (7.0 pts) 84.1%
1929 James Welsh (Labour) 22,425 55.8% James McCulloch (Liberal) 11,785 (29.3 pts) 78.2%
1931 Joseph Paton Maclay (Liberal) 26,187 61.8% James Welsh (Labour) 10,004 (23.6 pts) 79.4%
1935 Joseph Paton Maclay (Liberal) 22,466 50.4% Oliver Ridsdale Baldwin (Labour) 389 (0.9 pts) 80.3%
1945 Oliver Ridsdale Baldwin (Labour) 25,156 55.6% Thomas Galloway Dunlop Galbraith (Unionist) 10,330 (22.8 pts) 73.9%
1950 Douglas Harold Johnston (Labour) 29,204 56.1% Hugh Black (Unionist) 10,203 (19.6 pts) 84.0%
1951 Douglas Harold Johnston (Labour) 29,570 55.4% John Wilson (Unionist) 13,025 (24.4 pts) 84.4%
1955 Douglas Harold Johnston (Labour) 26,823 56.5% Robert Kernohan (Unionist) 6,098 (12.8 pts) 76.2%
1959 Douglas Harold Johnston (Labour) 28,519 57.3% Geoffrey R Rickman (Unionist) 7,269 (14.6 pts) 78.9%
1964 John Robertson (Labour) 26,318 52.9% John MacDonald Bannerman (Liberal) 9,481 (19.1 pts) 79.8%
1966 John Robertson (Labour) 28,160 60.2% Maurice Crichton (Conservative) 17,268 (36.9 pts) 76.5%
1970 John Robertson (Labour) 25,429 54.1% John Workman (Conservative) 10,197 (21.7 pts) 71.5%
Feb 1974 John Robertson (Labour) 23,820 48.4% John Workman (Conservative) 8,897 (18.1 pts) 75.2%
Oct 1974 John Robertson (Labour) 21,368 44.8% David Rollo (SNP) 5,590 (11.7 pts) 72.2%
1979 Allender Adams (Labour) 25,894 55.8% George Wills (Conservative) 13,755 (29.6 pts) 72.8%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1832

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Maxwell Whig 77581.2% Yes
John McKerrell Conservative 18018.8% No

1835

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander Graham Speirs Whig 66158.1% Yes
Horatio Ross Conservative 47741.9% No

1837

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Archibald Hastie Radical Unopposed Yes

1841

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Archibald Hastie Radical 157100.0% Yes
William Thomason Chartist 00.0% No

1847

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Archibald Hastie Radical Unopposed Yes

1852

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Archibald Hastie Radical 40652.1% Yes
William Taylor Haly Radical 37447.9% No

1857

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Archibald Hastie Radical 61153.6% Yes
Humphrey Ewing Crum-Ewing Whig 52446.0% No
Charles Favell Forth Wordsworth Chartist 40.4% No

1859

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Humphrey Ewing Crum-Ewing Liberal Unopposed Yes

1865

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Humphrey Ewing Crum-Ewing Liberal Unopposed Yes

1868

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Humphrey Ewing Crum-Ewing Liberal 1,57654.0% Yes
Archibald Campbell Campbell Conservative 92131.6% No
Archibald Kintrea Liberal 42114.4% No

1874

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Holms Liberal Unopposed Yes

1880

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Holms Liberal Unopposed Yes

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Boyle Barbour Liberal 3,39057.3% Yes
Robert Mure McKerrell Conservative 2,52342.7% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Boyle Barbour Liberal 3,05755.1% Yes
James Parker Smith Liberal Unionist 2,49144.9% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Dunn Liberal 4,26263.6% Yes
Christopher Nicholson Johnston Conservative 2,44136.4% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Dunn Liberal 4,40459.0% Yes
Alexander Moffat Conservative 3,06241.0% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Dunn Liberal 4,53256.6% Yes
George Sitwell Campbell Swinton Conservative 3,47443.4% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Mills McCallum Liberal 5,66452.7% Yes
James Anderson Dunlop MacKean Liberal Unionist 2,59424.2% No
Robert Smillie Scottish Workers' Representation 2,48223.1% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Mills McCallum Liberal 6,81263.7% Yes
Duncan Frederick Campbell Conservative 3,89036.3% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Mills McCallum Liberal 6,03964.3% Yes
Alfred Roger Jephcott Conservative 3,35035.7% No

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Mills McCallum Liberal 7,54234.0% Yes
John McLaren Biggar Co-operative 7,43633.5% No
John Taylor National Democratic and Labour 7,20132.5% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Herbert Henry Asquith Liberal 15,00550.5% Yes
John McLaren Biggar Labour 14,68949.5% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Herbert Henry Asquith Liberal 9,72333.4% Yes
John McLaren Biggar Labour 7,97727.4% No
Archibald Douglas MacInnes Shaw Unionist 7,75826.6% No
David Dewar Cormack Independent Labour 3,68512.6% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Edward Rosslyn Mitchell Labour 17,05753.5% Yes
Herbert Henry Asquith Liberal 14,82946.5% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Welsh Labour 22,42555.8% Yes
James McCulloch Liberal 10,64026.5% No
Minna Galbraith Cowan Unionist 7,09417.7% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Joseph Paton Maclay Liberal 26,18761.8% Yes
James Welsh Labour 16,18338.2% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Joseph Paton Maclay Liberal 22,46650.4% Yes
Oliver Ridsdale Baldwin Labour 22,07749.6% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Oliver Ridsdale Baldwin Labour 25,15655.6% Yes
Thomas Galloway Dunlop Galbraith Unionist 14,82632.7% No
Louise Glen-Coats Liberal 4,53210.0% No
Allan Richard Eagles Independent 7651.7% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Douglas Harold Johnston Labour 29,20456.1% Yes
Hugh Black Unionist 19,00136.5% No
Vaughan Shaw Liberal 3,8307.4% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Douglas Harold Johnston Labour 29,57055.4% Yes
John Wilson Unionist 16,54531.0% No
Vaughan Shaw Liberal 7,29113.7% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Douglas Harold Johnston Labour 26,82356.5% Yes
Robert Kernohan Unionist 20,72543.7% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Douglas Harold Johnston Labour 28,51957.3% Yes
Geoffrey R Rickman Unionist 21,25042.7% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Robertson Labour 26,31852.9% Yes
John MacDonald Bannerman Liberal 16,83733.9% No
Maurice Crichton Unionist 6,58313.2% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Robertson Labour 28,16060.2% Yes
Maurice Crichton Conservative 10,89223.3% No
Vaughan Shaw Liberal 7,88916.9% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Robertson Labour 25,42954.1% Yes
John Workman Conservative 15,23232.4% No
Margo MacDonald SNP 3,4327.3% No
Alan Sked Liberal 2,9186.2% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Robertson Labour 23,82048.4% Yes
John Workman Conservative 14,92330.3% No
David Rollo SNP 10,45521.3% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Robertson Labour 21,36844.8% Yes
David Rollo SNP 15,77833.1% No
Ian Robertson Conservative 7,44015.6% No
Donald Thompson Liberal 3,1166.5% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Allender Adams Labour 25,89455.8% Yes
George Wills Conservative 12,13926.2% No
David Rollo SNP 7,30515.7% No
Brian Monaghan Independent Labour 8111.7% No
June Tait Communist 1450.3% No
Thomas White Workers Revolutionary 1220.3% No

Margin Over Time

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

1832: Whig margin 62.3 pts 1835: Whig margin 16.2 pts 1841: Radical margin 100.0 pts 1852: Radical margin 4.1 pts 1857: Radical margin 7.6 pts 1868: Liberal margin 22.4 pts 1885: Liberal margin 14.7 pts 1886: Liberal margin 10.2 pts 1892: Liberal margin 27.2 pts 1895: Liberal margin 18.0 pts 1900: Liberal margin 13.2 pts 1906: Liberal margin 28.6 pts Jan 1910: Liberal margin 27.3 pts Dec 1910: Liberal margin 28.6 pts 1918: Liberal margin 0.5 pts 1922: Liberal margin 1.1 pts 1923: Liberal margin 6.0 pts 1924: Labour margin 7.0 pts 1929: Labour margin 29.3 pts 1931: Liberal margin 23.6 pts 1935: Liberal margin 0.9 pts 1945: Labour margin 22.8 pts 1950: Labour margin 19.6 pts 1951: Labour margin 24.4 pts 1955: Labour margin 12.8 pts 1959: Labour margin 14.6 pts 1964: Labour margin 19.1 pts 1966: Labour margin 36.9 pts 1970: Labour margin 21.7 pts Feb 1974: Labour margin 18.1 pts Oct 1974: Labour margin 11.7 pts 1979: Labour margin 29.6 pts 1832 1835 1841 1852 1857 1868 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 Jan 1910 Dec 1910 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979

Trend

Paisley has been contested at 38 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Radical, Liberal, Labour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Paisley in the 1979 general election?

Labour won Paisley in 1979 with 25,894 votes (55.8%), a majority of 13,755 votes over Conservative in second place.

Which parties have won Paisley since 1832?

Since 1832, Paisley has been won by: Labour, Liberal, Radical, Whig.

What was the closest result in Paisley?

The closest result on record for Paisley was 1918, when Liberal beat Co-operative by just 106 votes (0.5 percentage points).

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