Batley and Spen (UK Parliament constituency)
Coordinates: 53°43′01″N 1°38′06″W / 53.717°N 1.635°W
Batley and Spen | |
---|---|
Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | West Yorkshire |
Population | 107,899 (2011 census)[1] |
Electorate | 80,110 (December 2019)[2] |
Major settlements | Batley, Cleckheaton, Birstall, Birkenshaw |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1983 |
Member of Parliament | Kim Leadbeater (Labour) |
Number of members | One |
Created from | Batley and Morley, Brighouse and Spenborough and Dewsbury |
Batley and Spen is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was the constituency of Jo Cox, who was murdered when in office in 2016.
The current MP is Kim Leadbeater, a Labour politician, elected in a 2021 by-election by a 323-vote margin. The seat has returned Labour MPs since 1997.
Constituency profile[]
The area is in the rolling Pennines of West Yorkshire with considerable commerce, industry, retail and occupational trades. A lower percentage of social housing is present than the regional average, however most of the larger settlements have some social housing.[3] The population in the district is ethnically diverse. Many of the towns in the Spen Valley have few residents from non-white heritage backgrounds ( Birstall, Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Liversedge and Gomersal, generally more suburban and Conservative areas, with the exception of Cleckheaton, which has Liberal Democrat councillors[citation needed]). Howevver, the constituency's largest town, Batley, has a sizeable number of residents with South Asian backgrounds, namely Pakistani (9.2%) and Indian (mostly Gujarati) (15.9%). Heckmondwike also has a well-established South Asian community with 16.9% residents having Pakistani heritage.[4]
The results of the last fifty years show marginal majorities for Labour and for the Conservatives, and is considered to be part of the "red wall".[5]
In the 2016 EU referendum, Batley and Spen voted 60% in favour of Brexit.[6]
Boundaries[]
1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees wards of Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike, and Spen.
1997–2010: The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees wards of Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, and Spen.
2010–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees wards of Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike, and Liversedge and Gomersal.
The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the seats of Batley and Morley, Brighouse and Spenborough and Dewsbury. This West Yorkshire constituency covers Batley, Birkenshaw, Birstall, Cleckheaton, East Bierley, Gomersal, Hunsworth, and Liversedge.
History[]
The seat did not exist in its present form before 1983. It has seen significant boundary changes since its creation – most notably those changes that took effect for the 1997 general election.
The town of Heckmondwike was part of the seat from its creation in 1983 until 1997, when it was transferred to Dewsbury. Heckmondwike was returned to Batley and Spen for the 2010 general election.
The seat swung in Labour's favour in the elections of 1997, 2001 and 2005 though the Conservatives reduced the Labour majority in 2010 with a swing below the national average.
The electoral ward of Heckmondwike (which includes part of Liversedge township) was considered part of the Spen Valley (although it was never included in the former Spenborough Urban district). Heckmondwike ward was for many years a Labour stronghold, but in the 2000s elected two BNP councillors. The BNP councillors were narrowly defeated by Labour in 2007[7] and 2008.[8]
A by-election in 2016 occurred as a result of the murder of Jo Cox, the sitting MP. Cox died on 16 June 2016, after being shot and stabbed multiple times by a man associated with far-right organisations.[9][10][11] The Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, UK Independence Party and the Green Party all announced they would not contest the by-election as a mark of respect.[12]
Another by-election occurred in 2021 following the resignation of the previous Member of Parliament (MP) Tracy Brabin, who was elected Mayor of West Yorkshire on 10 May.[13][14][15][16] The 2021 by-election received considerable media attention due to expectations of a Labour loss following the earlier Hartlepool by-election and a high-profile and divisive campaign by George Galloway for the Workers Party of Britain.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23] It was won by Jo Cox's sister, Kim Leadbeater, with a reduced majority.
Members of Parliament[]
Election | Member[24] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Elizabeth Peacock | Conservative | |
1997 | Mike Wood | Labour | |
2015 | Jo Cox | Labour | |
2016 by-election | Tracy Brabin | Labour Co-op | |
2021 by-election | Kim Leadbeater | Labour |
Elections[]
Elections in the 2020s[]
A by-election was held on 1 July 2021 following the resignation of MP Tracy Brabin to become Mayor of West Yorkshire.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kim Leadbeater | 13,296 | 35.3 | 7.4 | |
Conservative | Ryan Stephenson | 12,973 | 34.4 | 1.6 | |
Workers Party | George Galloway | 8,264 | 21.9 | New | |
Liberal Democrats | Tom Gordon | 1,254 | 3.3 | 1.3 | |
Yorkshire | Corey Robinson | 816 | 2.2 | New | |
English Democrat | Thérèse Hirst | 207 | 0.55 | New | |
UKIP | Jack Thomson | 151 | 0.4 | New | |
Monster Raving Loony | Howling Laud Hope | 107 | 0.3 | New | |
Alliance for Green Socialism | Mike Davies | 104 | 0.3 | New | |
CPA | Paul Bickerdike | 102 | 0.3 | New | |
Freedom Alliance | Jonathon Tilt | 100 | 0.3 | New | |
For Britain | Anne Marie Waters | 97 | 0.3 | New | |
Rejoin EU | Andrew Smith | 75 | 0.2 | New | |
SDP | Ollie Purser | 66 | 0.1 | New | |
Independent | Jayda Fransen | 50 | 0.1 | New | |
Heritage | Susan Laird | 33 | 0.05 | New | |
Majority | 323 | 0.9 | 5.8 | ||
Turnout | 37,695 | 47.5 | 19.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | 2.9 |
Elections in the 2010s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op | Tracy Brabin | 22,594 | 42.7 | −12.8 | |
Conservative | Mark Brooks | 19,069 | 36.0 | −2.8 | |
Heavy Woollen District Independents | Paul Halloran | 6,432 | 12.2 | New | |
Liberal Democrats | John Lawson | 2,462 | 4.7 | +2.4 | |
Brexit Party | Clive Minihan | 1,678 | 3.2 | New | |
Green | Ty Akram | 692 | 1.3 | ±0.0 | |
Majority | 3,525 | 6.7 | −10.0 | ||
Turnout | 52,927 | 66.5 | −0.6 | ||
Labour Co-op hold | Swing | −5.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op | Tracy Brabin | 29,844 | 55.5 | +12.3 | |
Conservative | Ann Myatt | 20,883 | 38.8 | +7.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | John Lawson | 1,224 | 2.3 | −2.4 | |
Independent | Aleks Lukic | 1,076 | 2.0 | −16.0 | |
Green | Alan Freeman | 695 | 1.3 | −1.1 | |
Independent | Mohammed Hanif | 58 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 8,961 | 16.7 | +4.7 | ||
Turnout | 53,780 | 67.1 | +2.7 | ||
Labour Co-op hold | Swing | +2.3[a] |
a. ^ Swing is calculated from the 2015 election, not the 2016 by-election which was not contested by major parties. Aleks Lukic's vote change is in comparison to the 2015 election, when he stood as a UKIP candidate.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour Co-op | Tracy Brabin | 17,506 | 85.8 | +42.6 | |
English Democrat | Therese Muchewicz | 969 | 4.8 | New | |
BNP | David Furness | 548 | 2.7 | New | |
Independent | Garry Kitchin | 517 | 2.5 | New | |
English Independence | Corbyn Anti | 241 | 1.2 | New | |
Liberty GB | Jack Buckby | 220 | 1.0 | New | |
Independent | Henry Mayhew | 153 | 0.8 | New | |
Independent | Waqas Ali Khan | 118 | 0.6 | New | |
National Front | Richard Edmonds | 87 | 0.4 | New | |
One Love | Ankit Love | 34 | 0.2 | New | |
Majority | 16,537 | 81.0 | +68.0 | ||
Turnout | 20,393 | 25.8 | -38.6 | ||
Labour Co-op hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jo Cox | 21,826 | 43.2 | +1.7 | |
Conservative | Imtiaz Ameen | 15,769 | 31.2 | −1.8 | |
UKIP | Aleks Lukic | 9,080 | 18.0 | New | |
Liberal Democrats | John Lawson | 2,396 | 4.7 | −11.1 | |
Green | Ian Bullock | 1,232 | 2.4 | +1.3 | |
TUSC | Dawn Wheelhouse | 123 | 0.2 | New | |
Patriotic Socialist | Karl Varley | 53 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 6,057 | 12.0 | +3.5 | ||
Turnout | 50,479 | 64.4 | −3.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +1.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 21,565 | 41.5 | −3.7 | |
Conservative | Janice Small | 17,159 | 33.0 | +1.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Neil Bentley | 8,925 | 17.2 | +1.8 | |
BNP | David Exley | 3,685 | 7.1 | +1.1 | |
Green | Matt Blakeley | 605 | 1.2 | −0.5 | |
Majority | 4,406 | 8.5 | −5.0 | ||
Turnout | 51,939 | 67.7 | +6.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 2000s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 17,974 | 45.8 | −4.1 | |
Conservative | Robert Light | 12,186 | 31.1 | −5.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Neil Bentley | 5,731 | 14.6 | +4.3 | |
BNP | Colin Auty | 2,668 | 6.8 | New | |
Green | Clive Lord | 649 | 1.7 | +0.2 | |
Majority | 5,788 | 14.7 | +1.5 | ||
Turnout | 39,208 | 62.3 | +1.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 19,224 | 49.9 | +0.5 | |
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 14,160 | 36.7 | +0.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Kathryn Pinnock | 3,989 | 10.3 | +1.5 | |
Green | Clive Lord | 595 | 1.5 | +0.7 | |
UKIP | Allen Burton | 574 | 1.5 | New | |
Majority | 5,064 | 13.2 | +0.2 | ||
Turnout | 38,542 | 60.5 | −12.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.1 |
Elections in the 1990s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mike Wood | 23,213 | 49.4 | +6.3 | |
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 17,072 | 36.4 | −9.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Kathryn Pinnock | 4,133 | 8.8 | −1.7 | |
Referendum | Ed O.C. Wood | 1,691 | 3.6 | New | |
BNP | Ron Smith | 472 | 1.0 | New | |
Green | Clive Lord | 384 | 0.8 | −0.2 | |
Majority | 6,141 | 13.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 46,965 | 73.2 | −6.5 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +7.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 27,629 | 45.4 | +2.0 | |
Labour | Eunice Durkin | 26,221 | 43.1 | +2.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Gordon Beever | 6,380 | 10.5 | −3.8 | |
Green | Clive Lord | 628 | 1.0 | New | |
Majority | 1,408 | 2.3 | 0.0 | ||
Turnout | 60,858 | 79.7 | +0.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | 0.0 |
Elections in the 1980s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 25,512 | 43.4 | +3.8 | |
Labour | Kenneth Woolmer | 24,150 | 41.1 | +3.1 | |
SDP | Keith Burke | 8,372 | 14.3 | −7.2 | |
Moderate Labour | Allan Harrison | 689 | 1.2 | New | |
Majority | 1,362 | 2.3 | +0.7 | ||
Turnout | 58,723 | 79.0 | +5.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Elizabeth Peacock | 21,433 | 39.6 | N/A | |
Labour | Kenneth Woolmer | 20,563 | 38.0 | N/A | |
SDP | Stephen Woollery | 11,678 | 21.5 | N/A | |
Ecology | Clive Lord | 493 | 0.9 | N/A | |
Majority | 870 | 1.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 54,167 | 73.4 | N/A | ||
Conservative win (new seat) |
See also[]
Notes and references[]
- Notes
- ^ Conservatives, UKIP, Greens and Liberal Democrats declined to field a candidate out of respect for the previous holder of the post, Jo Cox, who was murdered in office
- References
- ^ "Batley and Spen: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 12 January 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ "Constituency data: electorates – House of Commons Library". Parliament UK. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Local statistics - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk.
- ^ "Kirklees Census 2001". Kirklees Council. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- ^ Steerpike. "Coming soon: the next red wall by-election". The Spectator. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ Lavigueur, Nick (12 February 2017). "Which Kirklees constituency voted against Brexit?". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "Kirklees Election Results 2007". Kirklees Council. 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
- ^ "Kirklees Election Results 2008". Kirklees Council. 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Boyle, Danny (16 June 2016). "Labour MP Jo Cox dies after being shot and stabbed in her constituency near Leeds". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Booth, Robert; Dodd, Vikram; Parveen, Nazia (16 June 2016). "Labour MP Jo Cox has died after being shot and stabbed". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Cobain, Ian; Parveen, Nazia; Taylor, Matthew (23 November 2016). "The slow-burning hatred that led Thomas Mair to murder Jo Cox". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
- ^ Stone, Jon (17 June 2016). "Jo Cox death: Parties stand down in killed Labour MP's seat as Corbyn and Cameron call for unity". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Is Batley and Spen Labour's next by-election headache?". The Independent. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ "West Yorkshire Mayoral election results". www.leeds.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Halliday, Josh; Mistlin, Alex (9 May 2021). "Labour's Tracy Brabin elected first mayor of West Yorkshire". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ "West Yorkshire devolution deal". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Al-Othman, Hannah (6 June 2021). "Batley and Spen by-election: are Muslim voters the next brick to crumble in Labour's red wall?". Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Labour could lose a by-election over the issue of Palestine". The Economist. 26 June 2021. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ Drury, Colin (28 June 2021). "Batley and Spen by-election: Labour's Muslim vote collapsing as Palestine - and potholes - cause anger". The Independent. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Jo Cox's sister, Labour candidate Kim Leadbeater, heckled and chased on campaign trail". The Independent. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ Diver, Tony (25 June 2021). "Labour candidate in Batley and Spen by-election left 'intimidated' by anti-LGBT protester". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ Blackall, Molly (26 June 2021). "Kim Leadbeater, sister of Jo Cox, chased and heckled on Batley and Spen by-election campaign trail". i. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Batley and Spen by-election: Labour 'egged and kicked'". BBC News. 28 June 2021. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 1)
- ^ "