Leicester South (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester South | |
---|---|
Borough constituency | |
Created from | Leicester |
Replaced by | Leicester South East, Leicester South West and Leicester North East |
Leicester South is a
Boundaries
1918–1950: The county borough of Leicester wards of Aylstone, Castle, Charnwood, De Montfort, Knighton, Martin's, and Wycliffe.[2]
The initial report of the Boundary Commission for England dated October 1947 and published in December 1947 recommended that Leicester retain three seats, including a revised Leicester South constituency consisting of the wards of Aylestone, De Montfort, Knighton, North Braunstone and Spinney Hill, giving an electorate of 67,574 as of the review date of 15 October 1946.
In 1969, the Second Periodical Report of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England reduced Leicester from four seats to three, and recreated Leicester South as a borough constituency.
1974–1983: The county borough of Leicester wards of Aylestone, De Montfort, Knighton, Spinney Hill, The Castle, and Wycliffe wards of Leicester.[6][7]
1983–2010: The City of Leicester wards of Aylestone, Castle, Crown Hills, East Knighton, Eyres Monsell, Saffron, Spinney Hill, Stoneygate, West Knighton and Wycliffe.[8][9]
Minor boundary changes were made as a result of the Third Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission in 1983. The new constituency took in about 3,000 voters who were previously in other Leicester seats.[10] No changes were made in the Fourth Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission in 1995.[11]
2010–present: The City of Leicester wards of Aylestone, Castle, Eyres Monsell, Freemen, Knighton, Spinney Hills, and Stoneygate.[12]
In the Fifth Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission in 2007, the constituency had only minor changes with 73 voters being added from Leicester West.[13]
Presently the seat is centred on the southern part of Leicester, and covers leafy suburbs such as Stoneygate and Knighton, inner-city areas with a strong Asian community, and deprived outer estates such as Saffron and Eyres Monsell. Another demographic feature is the presence of a large number of students studying at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University, which are both situated in the constituency.
Proposed
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, the composition of the constituency from the next general election, due by January 2025, will be reduced by the transfer of Aylestone ward to Leicester West. To partly compensate, polling district EVF in Evington ward will be added from Leicester East.[14]
Constituency profile
Leicester South is a varied constituency. It contains some of the most pleasant and affluent [citation needed] areas of Leicester such as Stoneygate, Knighton and Aylestone, as well as more deprived areas such as Saffron and Eyres Monsell. The centre of Leicester, also within the constituency, is more ethnically diverse than the southern part of the area[citation needed]. The seat also contains HM Prison Leicester and both of Leicester's universities.[15]
History
The seat was held by
The expansion of the city's suburbs and commuter belt has altered the incomes and other demographic measures of the constituency. The seat saw close contests between Conservative and Labour candidates in the 1980s, with Jim Marshall losing the seat by 7 votes to the Conservatives in the 1983 general election, but regaining it in 1987.
Marshall died in 2004, and the resulting by-election was fiercely contested. As in a
Sir Peter Soulsby won the seat at the 2005 election, and was re-elected in 2010. Sir Peter resigned to seek election for the new position of Mayor of Leicester in 2011, triggering a by-election on 5 May 2011, that coincided with the referendum on the voting system.[16] Jonathan Ashworth was elected as his successor, holding the seat for the Labour Party; he was re-elected in 2015 and 2017.
Despite being the only seat in Leicester that has been served by all three major parties in the past 35 years, Leicester South is also currently the safest of the three Labour seats in the city, with a majority in 2017 of 26,261 votes (52.0%), which, as in neighbouring Leicester East, is also the highest-ever majority for Labour in the seat.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1918–1950
Election | Member[17] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1918 | Thomas Blane | Conservative | |
1922 | William George Waterhouse Reynolds | Conservative | |
1923 | Ronald Wilberforce Allen | Liberal | |
1924 | Charles Waterhouse | Conservative | |
1945 | Herbert Bowden
|
Labour | |
1950 | constituency abolished |
MPs since 1974
Election | Member[17] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Feb 1974 | Tom Boardman | Conservative | |
Oct 1974 | Jim Marshall | Labour | |
1983 | Derek Spencer | Conservative | |
1987 | Jim Marshall
|
Labour | |
2004 by-election | Parmjit Singh Gill | Liberal Democrat | |
2005 | Sir Peter Soulsby | Labour | |
2011 by-election | Jonathan Ashworth | Labour and Co-operative
|
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reform UK | Craig Harwood[18] | ||||
Green | Sharmen Rahman[19] | ||||
Workers Party | Shockat Adam[20] | ||||
Majority | |||||
Turnout |
Elections in the 2010s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op
|
Jonathan Ashworth | 33,606 | 67.0 | -6.6 | |
Conservative | Natalie Neale | 10,931 | 21.8 | +0.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Chris Coghlan | 2,754 | 5.5 | +3.0 | |
Green | Mags Lewis | 1,669 | 3.3 | +1.0 | |
Brexit Party
|
James Potter | 1,187 | 2.4 | New | |
Majority | 22,675 | 45.2 | -6.8 | ||
Turnout | 50,147 | 64.6 | -2.4 | ||
Labour Co-op hold
|
Swing | -3.35 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op
|
Jonathan Ashworth | 37,157 | 73.6 | +13.8 | |
Conservative | Meera Sonecha | 10,896 | 21.6 | +0.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Harrish Bishnauthsing | 1,287 | 2.5 | -2.1 | |
Green | Mags Lewis | 1,177 | 2.3 | -3.2 | |
Majority | 26,261 | 52.0 | +13.1 | ||
Turnout | 50,517 | 67.0 | +4.5 | ||
Labour Co-op hold
|
Swing | +6.56 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op
|
Jonathan Ashworth | 27,493 | 59.8 | +14.2 | |
Conservative | Leon Hadji-Nikolaou | 9,628 | 20.9 | -0.5 | |
UKIP
|
Peter Stone | 3,832 | 8.3 | +6.8 | |
Green | Gabriella Garcia | 2,533 | 5.5 | +3.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Anita Prabhakar | 2,127 | 4.6 | -22.3 | |
TUSC | Andrew Walton | 349 | 0.8 | New | |
Majority | 17,845 | 38.9 | +20.2 | ||
Turnout | 45,962 | 62.5 | +1.4 | ||
Labour Co-op hold
|
Swing | +7.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jonathan Ashworth | 19,771 | 57.8 | +12.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Zuffar Haq | 7,693 | 22.5 | -4.4 | |
Conservative | Jane Hunt | 5,169 | 15.1 | -6.3 | |
UKIP
|
Abhijit Pandya | 994 | 2.9 | +1.4 | |
Monster Raving Loony | Howling Laud Hope | 553 | 1.6 | New | |
Majority | 12,078 | 35.3 | +16.6 | ||
Turnout | 34,180 | ||||
Labour Co-op hold
|
Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Peter Soulsby | 21,479 | 45.6 | +6.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Parmjit Singh Gill | 12,671 | 26.9 | -3.7 | |
Conservative | Ross Grant | 10,066 | 21.4 | +3.6 | |
BNP | Adrian Waudby | 1,418 | 3.0 | New | |
Green | Dave Dixey | 770 | 1.6 | -1.6 | |
UKIP
|
Christopher Lucas | 720 | 1.5 | New | |
Majority | 8,808 | 18.7 | +9.9 | ||
Turnout | 47,124 | 61.1 | +3.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +5.0 |
Elections in the 2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Peter Soulsby | 16,688 | 39.3 | -15.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Parmjit Singh Gill | 12,971 | 30.6 | +13.4 | |
Conservative | Martin McElwee | 7,549 | 17.8 | -5.3 | |
Respect
|
Yvonne Ridley | 2,720 | 6.4 | N/A | |
Green | Matthew Follett | 1,379 | 3.3 | +0.4 | |
Veritas | Ken Roseblade | 573 | 1.4 | New | |
Socialist Labour | Dave Roberts | 315 | 0.7 | -0.9 | |
Independent
|
Paul Lord | 216 | 0.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 3,717 | 8.8 | -22.6 | ||
Turnout | 42,411 | 58.7 | +0.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Parmjit Singh Gill | 10,274 | 34.9 | +17.7 | |
Labour | Peter Soulsby | 8,620 | 29.3 | -25.2 | |
Conservative | Chris Heaton-Harris | 5,796 | 19.7 | -3.4 | |
Respect
|
Yvonne Ridley | 3,724 | 12.7 | New | |
Socialist Labour | Dave Roberts | 263 | 0.9 | -0.7 | |
Monster Raving Loony | R. U. Seerius | 225 | 0.8 | New | |
Independent
|
Pat Kennedy | 204 | 0.7 | New | |
Independent
|
Paul Lord | 186 | 0.6 | New | |
Independent
|
Mark Benson | 55 | 0.2 | New | |
Independent
|
Jitendra Bardwaj | 36 | 0.1 | New | |
Independent | Alan Barrett | 25 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 1,654 | 5.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 29,438 | 41.6 | -16.4 | ||
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | +21.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jim Marshall
|
22,958 | 54.5 | -3.5 | |
Conservative | Richard Hoile | 9,715 | 23.1 | -0.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Parmjit Singh Gill | 7,243 | 17.2 | +3.4 | |
Green | Margaret Layton | 1,217 | 2.9 | New | |
Socialist Labour | Arnie Gardner | 676 | 1.6 | New | |
UKIP
|
Kirti Ladwa | 330 | 0.8 | New | |
Majority | 13,243 | 31.4 | -2.9 | ||
Turnout | 42,139 | 58.0 | -8.3 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | -1.4 |
Elections in the 1990s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jim Marshall
|
27,914 | 58.0 | +5.7 | |
Conservative | Chris Heaton-Harris | 11,421 | 23.7 | -10.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Barry Coles | 6,654 | 13.8 | +2.1 | |
Referendum | John Hancock | 1,184 | 2.5 | New | |
Socialist Labour | Jim Dooher | 634 | 1.3 | New | |
National Democrats
|
Kevin Sills | 307 | 0.6 | New | |
Majority | 16,493 | 34.3 | +16.6 | ||
Turnout | 48,194 | 66.3 | -8.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +8.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jim Marshall
|
27,934 | 52.3 | +8.1 | |
Conservative | Michael K. Dutt | 18,494 | 34.6 | −6.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Anne Crumbie | 6,271 | 11.7 | −2.1 | |
Green | John McWhirter | 554 | 1.0 | +0.3 | |
Natural Law | Patricia A. Saunders | 154 | 0.3 | New | |
Majority | 9,440 | 17.7 | +14.3 | ||
Turnout | 53,407 | 75.1 | −1.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +7.2 |
Elections in the 1980s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jim Marshall
|
24,901 | 44.2 | +3.9 | |
Conservative | Derek Spencer | 23,024 | 40.8 | +0.5 | |
Liberal | Robert Pritchard | 7,773 | 13.8 | −3.9 | |
Green | Brian Fewster | 390 | 0.7 | −0.2 | |
Independent Labour
|
Mian Mayat | 192 | 0.3 | New | |
Workers Revolutionary
|
Robert Manners | 96 | 0.2 | New | |
Majority | 1,877 | 3.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 56,376 | 77.0 | +4.7 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Derek Spencer | 21,424 | 40.3 | -2.3 | |
Labour | Jim Marshall
|
21,417 | 40.3 | -6.1 | |
Liberal | Rob Renold | 9,410 | 17.7 | +8.5 | |
Ecology
|
C. Davis | 495 | 0.9 | New | |
BNP | C. Pickard | 280 | 0.6 | New | |
Socialist Workers (Indian Workers' Association) | Dave Roberts | 161 | 0.3 | New | |
Majority | 7 | 0.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 53,187 | 72.3 | -2.5 | ||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +1.9 |
The Conservatives' 7 vote majority made Leicester South their most marginal constituency after the 1983 election and was the closest result in any constituency in the United Kingdom in the election.[36]
Elections in the 1970s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jim Marshall
|
24,548 | 46.4 | +3.2 | |
Conservative | Ray Godsall | 22,550 | 42.6 | +1.7 | |
Liberal | John Pick | 4,856 | 9.2 | -2.2 | |
National Front | A. R. Cartwright | 940 | 1.8 | -2.3 | |
Majority | 1,998 | 3.8 | +1.5 | ||
Turnout | 52,894 | 74.8 | +5.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jim Marshall
|
21,588 | 43.2 | +4.6 | |
Conservative | Tom Boardman | 20,455 | 40.9 | -0.9 | |
Liberal | H. Young | 5,709 | 11.4 | -5.3 | |
National Front | A. R. Cartwright | 2,072 | 4.1 | +1.1 | |
Marxist-Leninist (England)
|
G. H. Rousseau | 136 | 0.3 | New | |
Majority | 1,133 | 2.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 49,960 | 68.9 | -7.5 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Tom Boardman | 22,943 | 41.8 | ||
Labour | Jim Marshall
|
21,177 | 38.6 | ||
Liberal | Gordon Willey | 9,148 | 16.7 | ||
National Front | John Kynaston | 1,639 | 3.0 | ||
Majority | 1,766 | 3.2 | |||
Turnout | 54,907 | 76.4 | |||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Elections in the 1940s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Herbert Bowden | 19,541 | 45.0 | +10.0 | |
Conservative | Charles Waterhouse | 18,373 | 42.3 | +7.3 | |
Liberal | Thomas Allan Pratt | 5,509 | 12.7 | New | |
Majority | 1,168 | 2.7 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 43,423 | 76.8 | +6.6 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
Elections in the 1930s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Waterhouse | 24,868 | 65.0 | -11.8 | |
Labour | Leslie Maddock | 13,395 | 35.0 | +11.8 | |
Majority | 11,473 | 30.0 | -23.6 | ||
Turnout | 38,263 | 70.2 | -8.5 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Waterhouse | 32,767 | 76.8 | +34.5 | |
Labour | John Dugdale | 9,892 | 23.2 | -14.2 | |
Majority | 22,875 | 53.6 | +48.7 | ||
Turnout | 42,659 | 78.7 | -1.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1920s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist
|
Charles Waterhouse | 18,343 | 42.3 | −7.7 | |
Labour | Herbert Brough Usher | 16,198 | 37.4 | +7.7 | |
Liberal | Henry Purchase | 8,811 | 20.3 | 0.0 | |
Majority | 2,145 | 4.9 | −15.4 | ||
Turnout | 43,352 | 80.4 | −1.1 | ||
Registered electors | 53,890 | ||||
Unionist hold
|
Swing | −7.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist
|
Charles Waterhouse | 15,005 | 50.0 | +7.9 | |
Labour | Herbert Brough Usher | 8,912 | 29.7 | New | |
Liberal | Ronald Wilberforce Allen | 6,079 | 20.3 | −37.6 | |
Majority | 6,093 | 20.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 29,996 | 81.5 | +10.5 | ||
Registered electors | 36,805 | ||||
Unionist gain from Liberal
|
Swing | +22.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Ronald Wilberforce Allen | 14,692 | 57.9 | +8.1 | |
Unionist
|
William George Waterhouse Reynolds | 10,674 | 42.1 | −8.1 | |
Majority | 4,018 | 15.8 | New | ||
Turnout | 25,366 | 71.0 | −0.7 | ||
Registered electors | 35,710 | ||||
Unionist
|
Swing | +8.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist
|
William George Waterhouse Reynolds | 12,534 | 50.2 | −27.0 | |
Liberal | Ronald Wilberforce Allen | 12,425 | 49.8 | New | |
Majority | 109 | 0.4 | −54.0 | ||
Turnout | 24,959 | 71.7 | +5.0 | ||
Registered electors | 34,789 | ||||
Unionist hold
|
Swing | −27.0 |
Elections in the 1910s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Unionist
|
Thomas Blane | 18,498 | 77.2 | |
Labour | Frederick Fox Riley | 5,463 | 22.8 | ||
Majority | 13,035 | 54.4 | |||
Turnout | 23,961 | 66.7 | |||
Registered electors | 35,909 | ||||
Unionist win (new seat)
| |||||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
See also
Notes
- borough constituency(for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- first past the postsystem of election at least every five years.
References
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- ^ Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the People Act, 1918: with explanatory notes. London: Sweet and Maxwell.
- ^ "Initial Report", Boundary Commission for England, Cmd. 7260, p. 30-1.
- ^ "All-Night Debate on New Constituencies", The Times, 25 March 1948, p. 4.
- ^ "Report of Boundary Commissioners for England on Representations relating to certain proposed new Constituencies", Cmd. 7400, p. 5.
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- Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1972. pp. 6226–6227.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1983/417, retrieved 5 March 2023
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- ^ "The BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies", Parliamentary Research Services, Chichester, 1983, p. 89.
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- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2007/1681, retrieved 5 March 2023
- ^ "Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (Fifth Periodical Review)", BBC/ITN/PA News/Sky (Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre), 2007, p. 108.
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- ISBN 0-7230-0255-X.
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- ^ a b c d The Constitutional Year Book (1937), p.210
- ^ The Constitutional Year Book (1933), p.198
- ^ The Constitutional Year Book (1930), p.234