Inverclyde by-election, 2011

Inverclyde by-election

← 2010 30 June 2011 2015 →
Candidate Iain McKenzie Anne McLaughlin David Wilson Party Labour SNP Conservative Popular vote 15,118 9,280 2,784 Percentage 53.8 33.0 9.9
Map showing the Inverclyde Parliamentary constituency within Scotland.
MP before election David Cairns Labour Subsequent MP Iain McKenzie Labour

David Cairns
Labour

Iain McKenzie
Labour

The 2011 by-election in Inverclyde took place on 30 June 2011. It was triggered by the death of the incumbent Labour MP, David Cairns on 9 May 2011 of acute pancreatitis.

Cairns had won the Inverclyde constituency in 2010 with a majority of 38.4%, making it a safe Labour seat. The by-election was won by Iain McKenzie MP, the Labour candidate.

The by-election was caused by the death of the incumbent, David Cairns. Cairns, a Labour Party MP, was first elected to the seat at the 2001 general election. He was suffering from acute pancreatitis and had been receiving hospital treatment since March, dying on 9 May at the Royal Free Hospital. Previously working as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Scotland Office, Cairns became Minister of State for Scotland in 2007 but resigned in 2008 in opposition to then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Cairns was re-elected at the 2010 General Election with 56.0% of the popular vote in his constituency. The Scottish National Party (SNP) came second, and would require a swing of 19.25% to take the seat, and the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives held third and fourth place respectively with 12-14% of the vote share between them.