![]() | 'I regard the hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Mr. Grieve), who has been elevated to the Front Bench, as one of the brightest and best Opposition Members - certainly given what he has said during our debates on the Bill - but, when he cannot even tell the difference between the year 2000 and the year 2002, assuming that it is 12 months, we have to worry about the quality of the Conservative party and the likelihood of its returning to office. It is clear that even the brightest and best cannot count. But perhaps the Conservatives have an aversion to counting following the last general election, whose results went badly against them.' John McAllion, Labour MP for Dundee East, Hansard 23 rd February 1998. | ![]() |
| Date | Name | Office | Party | Logo | Constituency | Defeated by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1918 | The Asquithian Liberals left office in December 1916. 10 of the UK ex-cabinet ministers were defeated including in Scotland, Herbert Asquith, the ex Prime Minister, two ex-cabinet ministers and the ex chief whip. See below. | |||||
| November 1922 | The National Liberals /Conservative coalition under Lloyd George collapsed in October 1922. Andrew Bonar Law became Conservative Prime Minister and called an election. One ex-cabinet minister (Winston Churchill) was defeated in Scotland. | |||||
| 27 th October 1931 | The Labour government resigned before the election and was replaced by a National government. Four ex-cabinet ministers were defeated in Scotland. See below. | |||||
| 28 th February 1974 | Rt Hon Gordon Thomas Calthrop Campbell, later Lord Campbell of Croy | Secretary of State for Scotland | Conservative | ![]() |
Moray & Nairn | Winnie Ewing, Scottish National Party |
| 1 st May 1997 | Rt Hon Sir Michael Bruce Forsyth, later Lord Forsyth of Drumlean | Secretary of State for Scotland | Conservative | ![]() |
Stirling | Anne McGuire, Labour |
| Rt Hon Ian Bruce Lang, later Lord Lang of Monkton | President of the Board of Trade | Conservative | ![]() |
Galloway & Upper Nithsdale | Alasdair Morgan, Scottish National Party | |
| Rt Hon Malcolm Leslie Rifkind QC | Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs | Conservative | ![]() |
Edinburgh Pentlands | Dr Lynda Clark QC, Labour | |
| Date | Name | Office | Party | Logo | Constituency | Defeated by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1906 | The Conservative government resigned in January 1905. Eight of the UK ex-cabinet ministers were defeated including Arthur Balfour, who had been Prime Minister. In Scotland three non-cabinet Ministers were defeated including the Lord Advocate and the Attourney General | |||||
| 20 th December 1911 | Andrew Macbeth Anderson K.C. | Solicitor-General for Scotland | Liberal | ![]() |
Ayrshire Northern | Duncan Frederick Campbell, Conservative |
| 15 th November 1922 | James Kidd | Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Health, Scotland | Conservative | ![]() |
Linlithgowshire | Emanuel Shinwell, later Lord Shinwell, Labour |
| W. Watson1 | Lord Advocate | Conservative | ![]() |
Galloway | Cecil Randolph Dudgeon, Liberal | |
| 6 th December 1923 | Walter Elliott Elliott | Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Health, Scotland | Conservative | ![]() |
Lanark | Thomas Scott Dickson, Labour |
| Patrick Johnstone Ford | Lord Commissioner, Treasury | Conservative | ![]() |
Edinburgh North | Peter Wilson Raffan, Liberal | |
| 29 th October 1924 | John William Muir | Parliamentary Secretary, Paymaster-General | Labour | ![]() |
Glasgow Maryhill | James Brown Couper, Conservative |
| Emanuel Shinwell, later Lord Shinwell | Secretary of Mines, Board of Trade | Labour | ![]() |
Linlithgowshire | James Kidd, Conservative | |
| 30 th May 1929 | Wilfrid Guild Normand, later Baron Normand | Solicitor-General for Scotland | Conservative | ![]() |
Edinburgh West | George Mathers, later Baron Mathers, Liberal |
| 27 th October 1931 | The Labour government resigned before the election and was replaced by a National government. Five ex-junior ministers were defeated. See below. | |||||
| 26 th July 1945 | Sir William John St.Clair Anstruther-Gray Bt, later Lord Kilmany | Assistant Postmaster-General | Conservative | ![]() |
Lanarkshire North | Margaret McCrorie Herbison, Labour |
| Alfred Ernest Brown | Minister of Aircraft Production | Liberal National | ![]() |
Leith | James Hutchison Hoy, later Lord Hoy, Labour | |
| Allan Chapman | Parliamentary Secretary, Scottish Office | Conservative | ![]() |
Rutherglen | Gilbert McAllister, Labour | |
| Lord Dunglass, later Earl of Home, later Sir Alec Douglas-Home, later Lord Home of the Hirsel | Under-Secretary, Foreign Office | Conservative | ![]() |
Lanark | Thomas Steele, Labour | |
| Florence Gertrude Horsburgh, later Baroness Horsburgh | Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Food | Conservative | ![]() |
Dundee | Evelyn John St.Loe Strachey & Thomas Fotheringham Cook, Labour (two member constituency) | |
| 23 rd February 1950 | Thomas Steele | Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of National Insurance | Labour | ![]() |
Lanark | Lord Dunglass, later Earl of Home, later Sir Alec Douglas-Home, later Lord Home of the Hirsel, Conservative |
| 26 th May 1959 | Jack Nixon Browne, later Lord Craigton | Under-Secretary, Scottish Office | Conservative | ![]() |
Glasgow Craigton | Bruce Millan, Labour |
| 9 th June 1983 | James Hector Northey (Hamish) Gray, later Lord Gray of Contin | Minister of State, Department of Energy | Conservative | ![]() |
Ross, Cromarty & Skye | Charles Peter Kennedy, Social Democratic Party |
| Iain MacDonald Sproat3 | Under-Secretary, Department of Trade | Conservative | ![]() |
Roxburgh & Berwickshire | Archie Kirkwood, Liberal | |
| 11 th June 1987 | Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, Earl of Ancram | Under-Secretary, Scottish Office | Conservative | ![]() |
Edinburgh South | Nigel Griffiths, Labour |
| Peter Lovat Fraser, later Lord Fraser of Carmyllie | Solicitor-General for Scotland | Conservative | ![]() |
Angus East | Andrew Welsh, Scottish National Party | |
| John Jackson MacKay, later Lord MacKay of Ardbrecknish | Under-Secretary, Scottish Office | Conservative | ![]() |
Argyll & Bute | Janet Ray Michie, later Baroness Michie of Gallanach, Liberal | |
| Peter Gerald Malone | Assistant Whip | Conservative | ![]() |
Aberdeen South | Frank Doran, Labour | |
| 1 st May 1997 | Paul B. Cullen4 | Solicitor-General for Scotland | Conservative | ![]() |
Eastwood | James Murphy, Labour |
| Rt Hon Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, later Lord Selkirk of Douglas | Minister of State, Scottish Office | Conservative | ![]() |
Edinburgh West | Donald Cameron Easterbrook Gorrie, Lib Dem | |
| George Alexander Bryson Kynoch | Under-Secretary, Scottish Office | Conservative | ![]() |
Aberdeenshire West & Kincardine | Sir Robert Hill Smith Bt, Lib Dem | |
| Raymond Scott Robertson | Under-Secretary, Scottish Office | Conservative | ![]() |
Aberdeen South | Anne Margaret Begg, Labour | |
1 W. Watson was not an MP, but was defeated when he stood as Conservative candidate for Galloway.
2 W. G. Normand was not an MP, but was defeated when he stood as Conservative candidate for Edinburgh West.
3 Iain Sproat was MP for Aberdeen South (Tory hold by Gerry Malone) but stood in Roxburgh & Berwickshire which he lost.
4 Paul Cullen was not an MP, but was defeated when he stood as Conservative candidate for Eastwood.
The Conservative government resigned in January 1905. Eight of the UK ex-cabinet ministers were defeated including Arthur Balfour, who had been Prime Minister. In Scotland three non-cabinet Ministers were defeated including the Lord Advocate and the Attourney General. Polling ran from the 12 th January until the 8 th February with different regions polling on different days.
| Date | Name | Office | Party | Logo | Constituency | Defeated by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 th January 1906 | Scott Dickson | Lord Advocate | Unionist | ![]() |
Glasgow Bridgeton | John William Cleland, Liberal |
| Andrew Bonar Law | Parliamentary Secretary, Board of Trade | Unionist | ![]() |
Glasgow Blackfriars & Hutchesontown | George Nicholl Barnes, Labour | |
| 19 th January 1906 | Sir Robert Bannatye Finlay, later Viscount Finlay | Attourney General | Liberal Unionist | ![]() |
Inverness Burghs | John Annan Bryce, Liberal |
On the 5 th December 1916, the Liberal Prime Minister Henry Herbert Asquith and his supporters resigned from the coalition government. The Liberal party split with those remaining in government being called Coalition Liberals, and later National Liberals. David Lloyd George became the last Liberal Prime Minister and headed a coalition government until 1922. At the 1918 election there were major boundary changes and a major increase in the electiorate. Ten Asquithian cabinet ministers lost their seat, including, in Scotland, the defeat of the ex-Prime Minister, two former cabinet ministers and the former Chief Whip.
| Date | Name | Office | Party | Logo | Constituency | Defeated by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 th December 1918 | Henry Herbert Asquith, later 1 st Earl of Asquith & Oxford | Prime Minister | Liberal | ![]() |
East Fife | Col. Sir Alexander Sprot, Unionist |
| Date | Name | Office | Party | Logo | Constituency | Defeated by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 th December 1918 | Thomas McKinnon Wood | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Economic Secretary to the Treasury | Liberal | ![]() |
Glasgow St Rollox | Gideon Murray, Coalition Unionist |
| Harold John Tennant | Secretary for Scotland | Liberal | ![]() |
Berwickshire & Haddingtonshire | John Deans Hope, Coalition Liberal |
| Date | Name | Office | Party | Logo | Constituency | Defeated by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 th December 1918 | John William Gulland | Chief Whip | Liberal | ![]() |
Dumfries | Major William Murray, Coalition Unionist |
Following the resignation of the Liberal Prime Minister, Hervert Asquith most of his party followed him into opposition. However David Llyod George lead a faction, later called the National Liberals, and was Prime Minister until October 1922 when his coalition with the Conservatives collapsed. Andrew Bonar Law became Conservative Prime Minister and called an election. One ex-cabinet minister (Winston Churchill) was defeated in Scotland.
| Date | Name | Office | Party | Logo | Constituency | Defeated by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 th November 1922 | Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill | Secretary of State for the Colonies | Liberal | ![]() |
Dundee (two seat constituency) | Edwin Scrymgeour, Scottish Prohibition Party |
In 1929, Labour replaced the Unionists (Conservatives) as the largest party in the UK and formed a minority government which had the support of the Liberals. Following a severe financial crisis the Labour government resigned on the 24 th of August 1931 and the Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald formed a National Government supported by 263 Unionists, 58 Liberals, 15 "National Labour" MPs and four independents. 265 Labour MPs and 10 independents formed the opposition. The general election was held on 27 th October 1931 and there was a landslide victory for the National government with the Labour party losing 213 seats and being reduced to a rump of just 52 MPs. Most of the members of the previous Labour government lost their seats, including, in Scotland, the defeat of no less than four former cabinet ministers.
| Date | Name | Office | Party | Logo | Constituency | Defeated by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 th October 1931 | Rt Hon William Adamson | Secretary of State for Scotland | Labour | ![]() |
West Fife | Charles Black Milne, Unionist |
| Rt Hon William Wedgewood Benn, later 1 st Viscount Stansgate | Secretary of State for India | Labour | ![]() |
Aberdeen North | John George Burnett, Unionist | |
| Rt Hon William Graham | President of the Board of Trade | Labour | ![]() |
Edinburgh Central | James Campbell Morrison Guy, Unionist | |
| Rt Hon Tom Johnston | Lord Privy Seal | Labour | ![]() |
Western Stirlingshire | James Campbell Ker, Unionist |
| Date | Name | Office | Party | Logo | Constituency | Defeated by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 th October 1931 | Thomas Henderson | Controller of the Household | Labour | ![]() |
Glasgow Tradeston | Dr William Hannah McLean, Unionist |
| Thomas Kennedy | Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | Labour | ![]() |
Kirkcaldy | Albert Russell, K.C., Unionist | |
| Dr Thomas Drummond Shiels | Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Colonies | Labour | ![]() |
Edinburgh East | David Marshall Mason, Liberal | |
| Emanuel Shinwell, later Lord Shinwell | Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Mines Department | Labour | ![]() |
Linlithgowshire | Sir Adrian Baillie Bt., Unionist | |
| Joseph Westwood | Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Scotland | Labour | ![]() |
Midlothian & Peebles, Southern | Captain Archibald Henry Maule Ramsay, Unionist |
The following party leaders have suffered electoral defeat.
| Date | Name | Party | Logo | Constituency | Defeated by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 th December 1918 | Henry Herbert Asquith, later 1 st Earl of Asquith & Oxford | Leader of the Liberal Party | ![]() |
East Fife | Col. Sir Alexander Sprot, Unionist |
| 29 th October 1924 | Henry Herbert Asquith, later 1 st Earl of Asquith & Oxford | Leader of the Liberal Party | ![]() |
Paisley | Edward Rosslyn Mitchell, Labour |
| 5 th July 1945 | Sir Archibald Henry Macdonald Sinclair, Bt. | Leader of the Liberal Party | ![]() |
Caithness & Sutherland | Eric Leslie Gander Dower, Conservative |
| Alfred Ernest Brown | Leader of the Liberal Nationals | ![]() |
Leith | James Hutchison Hoy, later Lord Hoy, Labour | |
| 11 th June 1987 | Robert Gordon Wilson | Leader of the Scottish National Party | ![]() |
Dundee East | John McAllion, Labour |
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