Edinburgh East was one of five constituencies covering the City of Edinburgh council area. All were entirely within the city council area. Prior to the 2005 general election, the city area was covered by six constituencies, with Edinburgh East and Musselburgh straddling the boundary with the East Lothian council area.
1885–1918: The municipal wards of Broughton, Calton, and Canongate of the burgh of Edinburgh, and so much of St. Leonard's ward as lies to the north of a line drawn along the centres of East and West Richmond Streets.[2]
1918–1950: The burgh of Musselburgh and the Canongate and Portobello municipal wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.[3]
1950–1955: The burgh of Musselburgh and the Craigentinny, Craigmillar and Portobello wards (as constituted by the Local Government (Scotland) (Edinburgh Wards) Order 1948, SI 1948/1138) of the county of the city of Edinburgh.[4]
1955–1974: The burgh of Musselburgh and the Craigentinny, Portobello and Craigmillar (with the exception of the area added by the Edinburgh Corporation Order Confirmation Act 1954).[5]
1974–1983: The burgh of Musselburgh and the Craigmillar, Craigentinny and Portobello wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.[6]
1983–1997: Electoral divisions 22 (Calton/Lochend), 30 (Willowbrae/Mountcastle), 31 (Portobello/Milton) and 39 (Niddrie/Craigmillar) and ward 30 (Craigentinny) of the City of Edinburgh.[7]
2005–2024: The City of Edinburgh wards of Tollcross, Southside, Holyrood, Meadowbank, Mountcastle, Leith Links, Restalrig, Portobello, Milton, Prestonfield, Craigmillar, and Duddingston.[8]
The Edinburgh East constituency, as defined in 2005, consisted of areas formerly within the constituencies of Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Edinburgh Central and Edinburgh South.[9] It was largely a replacement for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh. Scottish Parliament constituencies retained the names and boundaries of the older Westminster constituencies.
The constituency of the 1885 to 1997 period was created when the Edinburgh constituency was abolished, in favour of four new constituencies: Edinburgh East, Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh South and Edinburgh West. Edinburgh Central was abolished in 2005. The South and West constituencies continue in use, with altered boundaries.
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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
^"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.
^"Representation of the People Act 1948: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1948 c. 65 (sch. 1), retrieved 23 July 2023
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) (Midlothian, Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles, and Edinburgh East) Order 1955. SI 1955/30". Statutory Instruments 1955. Part II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1956. pp. 2206–2208.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1970", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1970/1680, retrieved 23 July 2023
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1983", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1983/422, retrieved 23 July 2023
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 2005", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2005/250, retrieved 23 July 2023
^"Edinburgh East: Seat Details". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021.
^Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)
^"UK Parliamentary General Election - 12 December 2019". The City of Edinburgh Council. The City of Edinburgh Council. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
^"Edinburgh East parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. 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. "UK Parliamentary election results 2015 | The City of Edinburgh Council". www.edinburgh.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
^"UK Polling Report". Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
^"TUSC parliamentary candidates in May 2015" (PDF). Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition. 4 February 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 February 2015.
^"Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^"BBC News | Election 2010 | Constituency | Edinburgh East". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
^"Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"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.
^By-election in British Politics by Cook & Ramsden
^ abcDebrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
^ abcdefghijCraig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.