Manchester East was one of six single-member parliamentary constituencies created in 1885 by the division of the existing three-member Parliamentary Borough of Manchester. The others were: Manchester South, Manchester North, Manchester North East, Manchester North West and Manchester South West. They were all abolished in 1918.

The secretary of state for Scotland, also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Much of the Secretary of State for Scotland's responsibility transferred to the office of the First Minister of Scotland upon the re–establishment of both the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament in 1999 following the Scotland Act 1998.