Airdrie and Shotts is a constituency

United Kingdom constituencies

In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...

 of the British House of Commons, located in central Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 within the North Lanarkshire

North Lanarkshire

North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...

 council area. It elects one Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MP) at least once every five years using the First-past-the-post

First-past-the-post

First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...

 system of voting.

The constituency has existed since 1997, however underwent significant boundary changes in 2005. It can be described as a safe seat

Safe seat

A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...

 for the Labour Party

Labour Party (UK)

The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

, who hold it with a majority of over 12,000 votes. It's current MP, Pamela Nash

Pamela Nash

Pamela Nash is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts since the 2010 general election.-Early life and education:...

, at 25 years of age, holds the unnofficial title of Baby of the House

Baby of the House

Baby of the House is the unofficial title given to the youngest member of a parliamentary house. The term is most often applied to members of the British parliament.-Australia:In Australia the term is rarely used...

. Former MPs for the constituency include John Reid, former Labour Home Secretary

Home Secretary

The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...

 and Defence Secretary

Secretary of State for Defence

The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...

, and Helen Liddell, former Labour Scottish Secretary

Secretary of State for Scotland

The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...

.

It is a generally working class, urban seat, and contains the towns of Airdrie

Airdrie, North Lanarkshire

Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...

, Calderbank

Calderbank

Calderbank is a village outside the town of Airdrie North Lanarkshire, Scotland, The village lies 13 miles east of Glasgow city centre and around 34 miles west of Edinburgh.Other major towns include Coatbridge 4 miles, Bellshill 4 miles and Motherwell 5 miles.-Etymology:The village's name is of a...

, Chapelhall

Chapelhall

Chapelhall is a village outside the town of Airdrie in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. However, with house building this distinction between Airdrie and Chapelhall is being eroded...

, Glenmavis

Glenmavis

Glenmavis is a village in the North Lanarkshire area of Scotland. It is situated about 2 miles north-west of Airdrie on the B802 road. The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded a population of 2286....

 and Shotts

Shotts

Shotts is a small rural town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located almost halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh . As of the 2001 census, the population was 8,235...

.

Boundaries and history

The majority of the newly created constituency maintains the boundaries of its predecessor. From North Lanarkshire

North Lanarkshire (UK Parliament constituency)

North Lanarkshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1885 and from 1918 to 1983...

 come Holytown

Holytown

Holytown is a small village outside Motherwell in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-History:The area was born and grew on the back of the nearby coal mining industries in the 18th century, although the roots of the town stretch back to at least the 17th Century, where records show that a meeting house...

 and Newarthill

Newarthill

Newarthill is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, situated roughly three miles north-west of the town of Motherwell. It has a population of around 7,800. The Member of Parliament for the local area is Pamela Nash. The Member of the Scottish Parliament for the local area is Michael McMahon...

. This seat is positioned on either side of the M8 motorway to Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

.

Small semi-urban towns such as Stane, Dykehead and Shotts were added to Airdrie

Airdrie, North Lanarkshire

Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...

 in the 1990s redistribution to form this seat, the predecessor of which was Monklands East

Monklands East (UK Parliament constituency)

Monklands East was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system...

. An area in the eastern part of Coatbridge

Coatbridge

Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...

 is also part of the constituency.

The 2005 changes saw the seat lose some territory to Motherwell and Wishaw

Motherwell and Wishaw (UK Parliament constituency)

Motherwell and Wishaw is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1974, mostly from Motherwell...

 whilst gaining part of Hamilton North and Bellshill

Hamilton North and Bellshill (UK Parliament constituency)

Hamilton North and Bellshill was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005...

. It has proved to be a Labour Party stronghold since its creation.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...	Helen Liddell Helen Liddell Helen Lawrie Liddell, Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Monklands East from 1994 to 1997, and then for Airdrie and Shotts until 2005, whereafter she became the British High Commissioner to Australia until 2009...	Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
	2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....	John Reid John Reid (politician) John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, PC is a British politician, who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament and cabinet minister under Tony Blair, most notably as Defence Secretary and then Home Secretary...	Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
	2010	Pamela Nash Pamela Nash Pamela Nash is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts since the 2010 general election.-Early life and education:...	Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

Election results