Aby-election for the constituency of Edinburgh East in the United Kingdom House of Commons was held on 27 November 1947, caused by the appointment of the sitting Labour MP George Thomson as Lord Justice Clerk. The seat was retained by the Labour Party, with their candidate John Wheatley winning the seat.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John Wheatley | 16,906 | 50.5 | -5.9 | |
| National Liberal (Conservative) | Duncan M. Matthews | 11,490 | 34.4 | -2.9 | |
| Liberal | John Junor | 3,379 | 10.1 | New | |
| SNP | Mary Dott | 1,682 | 5.0 | -1.3 | |
| Majority | 5,416 | 16.1 | -3.0 | ||
| Turnout | 33,457 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | George Thomson | 15,482 | 61.6 | +5.2 | |
| Conservative | Tam Galbraith | 9,665 | 38.4 | +1.1 | |
| Majority | 5,817 | 23.2 | +4.1 | ||
| Turnout | 25,147 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Frederick Pethick-Lawrence | 19,300 | 56.4 | +13.2 | |
| Conservative | William Angus Sinclair | 12,771 | 37.3 | -2.3 | |
| SNP | FC Yeaman | 2,149 | 6.3 | New | |
| Majority | 6,529 | 19.1 | +15.5 | ||
| Turnout | 34,220 | 69.6 | +1.0 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | +7.7 | |||
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