Edinburgh Central was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (at Westminster) from 1885 to 2005.

1885–1918: The Municipal Wards of St. Giles, George Square, and St. Leonard, except so much as is comprised in the Edinburgh East Division (being the part to the north of a line drawn along the centres of East and West Richmond Streets).

1918–1950: The George Square, St. Giles' and St. Leonard's Municipal Wards of Edinburgh.

1950–1955: The George Square, Holyrood, and St Giles wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.

The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected; Although the Edinburgh Central seat had been won by the Labour Party in 1979, had that election been fought on the new boundaries it was estimated that the Conservatives would have won the seat by a majority of 1,971.