2005 Livingston by-election

2005 Livingston by-election

29 September 2005
Turnout38.6%
  First party Second party
 
Lab
Candidate Jim Devine Angela Constance
Party Labour SNP
Popular vote 12,319 9,639
Percentage 41.8% 32.7%
Swing 9.3% 11.1%

  Third party Fourth party
 
LD
Candidate Charles Dundas Gordon Lindhurst
Party Liberal Democrats Conservative
Popular vote 4,362 1,993
Percentage 14.8% 6.8%
Swing 0.6% 3.4%

MP before election

Robin Cook
Labour

Elected MP

Jim Devine
Labour

A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Livingston was held on 29 September 2005, following the death of incumbent Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) Robin Cook. It was won by Jim Devine, who held the seat for Labour.

Cook died on 6 August 2005. Notice of the vacancy in the constituency was published in The London Gazette on 2 September, which allowed the Speaker of the House of Commons to issue the writ for the election on 8 September under the Recess Elections Act 1975. The poll was held on 29 September, in the week of the Labour Party Conference, when the Labour candidate Jim Devine held the seat for his party.

A by-election for the Glasgow Cathcart seat in the Scottish Parliament was also held on the same day.