Candidates and Constituency Assessments

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East Renfrewshire

Candidates

	Richard Cook
	Conservative & Unionist
	Richard Cook is the current Vice Chairman of the Scottish Tories. Aged 36, he joined the Eastwood Young Conservatives in 1985 and was Chairman of Cathcart Conservative Association. He is Commercial Manager for the UK's largest waste and recycling company, where he has responsibility for the development of recycling initiatives for blue chip and local authority customers. He contested Glasgow Cathcart in 2001 and 2003, coming third, while in 2005 he was selected for the ex-Tory seat of East Renfrewshire (previously named Eastwood), and also contested Glasgow Cathcart in the 2005 by-election caused by the resignation of Labour Peer and MSP Lord Watson of Invergowrie. Recent electoral experience. 2005 Scottish Parliament by-election, Glasgow Cathcart, 2,306 votes (14.96 %) 2005 Westminster Parliament election, East Renfrewshire, 14,158 votes (29.9 %) 2003 Scottish Parliament election, Glasgow Cathcart, 2,888 votes (13.0 %) 2001 Westminster Parliament election, Glasgow Cathcart, 3,662 votes (13.4 %)
	Who?
	Labour
	Ministerial Posts: Recent electoral experience
	Who?
	Liberal Democrat
	Recent electoral experience
	Who?
	Scottish National Party
	Recent electoral experience

Westminster Election, 5 th May 2005

There were no boundary changes in the constituency in 2005, only a change in name from Eastwood to East Renfewshire

Electorate 65,714 Turnout: 72.14 %
	Jim Murphy MP
	Labour
	Votes	20,815
	%	43.91 %
	% change since 2001	- 3.72 %
	Richard Cook
	Conservative & Unionist
	Votes	14,158
	%	29.87 %
	% change since 2001	+ 1.14 %
	Cllr Gordon MacDonald
	Liberal Democrat
	Votes	8,659
	%	18.27 %
	% change since 2001	+ 5.37 %
	Osama Bhutta
	Scottish National Party
	Votes	3,245
	%	6.85 %
	% change since 2001	- 1.71 %
	Ian Henderson
	Scottish Socialist Party
	Votes	528
	%	1.11 %
	% change since 2001	- 0.57 %
Notional Labour hold
Labour majority		6,657
% majority		14.04 %
% change since 2001		- 4.86 %

Eastwood

7 th June 2001 Westminster Election

Turnout: 48,368 (70.74 %)
	Jim Murphy MP
	Labour
	Votes	23,036
	%	47.63 %
	% change since 1997	+ 7.88 %
	Raymond Robertson
	Conservative & Unionist
	Votes	13,895
	%	28.73 %
	% change since 1997	- 4.83 %
	Allan Steele
	Liberal Democrat
	Votes	6,239
	%	12.90 %
	% change since 1997	+ 1.20 %
	Stewart Maxwell
	Scottish National Party
	Votes	4,137
	%	8.55 %
	% change since 1997	- 4.52 %
	Peter Murray
	Scottish Socialist Party
	Votes	814
	%	1.68 %
	% change since 1997	(+ 1.68 %)
	Manar Tayan
	Independent
	Votes	247
	%	0.51 %
	% change since 1997	(+ 0.51 %)
Notional Labour hold
Labour majority		9,141
% majority		18.90 %
% change since 1997		+ 12.71 %