Walsall North (UK Parliament constituency)
Walsall North | |
---|---|
Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Boundary of Walsall North in West Midlands | |
![]() Location of West Midlands within England | |
County | West Midlands |
Electorate | 65,468 (December 2010)[1] |
Major settlements | Willenhall, Bloxwich and Walsall (part) |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1955 |
Member of Parliament | Eddie Hughes (Conservative) |
Number of members | One |
Created from | Walsall |
Walsall North is a constituency[n 1] created in 1955 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Eddie Hughes, a member of the Conservative Party.[n 2] The local electorate returned a Labour MP in the seat's first seventeen general elections; in the following election Eddie Hughes became its second Conservative MP following an earlier by-election win by his party in 1976.[2] The seat consists of green-buffered urban areas with golf courses, parks and sports fields between the half of the former metalworking and manufacturing-centred town and main other settlement, Bloxwich within its boundaries.
Members of Parliament[]
Election | Member[3] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1955 | William Wells | Labour | |
Feb 1974 | John Stonehouse | Labour | |
1976 | English Nationalist | ||
1976 by-election | Robin Hodgson | Conservative | |
1979 | David Winnick | Labour | |
2017 | Eddie Hughes | Conservative |
Constituency profile[]
The constituency is in the heart of an area traditionally focused on manufacturing which retains many mechanical and engineering jobs in its economy.
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly higher than the national average of 3.8%, at 8.0% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian, not the highest in the region which was Birmingham Ladywood at 11.1% but also significantly higher than the average for the region, 4.7%.[4]
Boundaries[]
Walsall North is one of three constituencies covering the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall.[n 3]
1983–present: The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall wards of Birchills Leamore, Blakenall, Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Short Heath, Willenhall North, and Willenhall South.
1974–1983: As 1955-1974 less Hatherton, plus Bentley, Willenhall North, and Willenhall South.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Walsall wards of Birchills, Blakenall, Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Hatherton, and Leamore, and the Urban District of Brownhills.
History[]
- Results between 1955 and 1979
The seat was created in 1955 from part of Walsall. Its first Member of Parliament was W.T. Wells of the Labour Party, who had been the MP for Walsall. In 1974, he was succeeded by controversial Labour MP John Stonehouse, who was appointed Postmaster General and became infamous for faking his own death, being later jailed for fraud. After resigning from the party in April 1976, he was invited to join the English National Party, becoming their first (and only) MP, before being forced to resign as an MP in August 1976. The ensuing by-election was won by Robin Hodgson, a Conservative.
- Results since 1979
Labour regained the seat in 1979; their candidate was the former Croydon South MP David Winnick, who represented the constituency until 2017. Aside from a marginal majority in 1987 of 3.7%, Winnick's wins from and including 1979 ranged between 7.3% and 29% (the latter twice) until 2010. He fended off a strong challenge from Conservative Helyn Clack, who he beat by 2.7% of the vote in 2010.[5] Going into the 2015 general election, Walsall North was 13th on the list of Conservative target seats.[6] Winnick increased his majority to 1,937 — 5.2% of the vote.[7] The 2015 result gave the seat the 22nd-smallest majority of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority.[8]
- Other parties since 1979
Conservative candidates finished runner-up in each election from and including 1979, winning in 2017.
The UKIP swing of +17.2% in 2015, coming the year before the UK's EU membership referendum, was higher than the national average of 9.5%. The Liberal Democrat, TUSC and Green Party candidates of 2015 won less than 5% of the vote, so lost their deposits.
The Liberal Democrats managed to produce their best result since the seat's 1955 creation (counting their two predecessor parties) in 1983, when Liberal A. Bentley polled 20.7% of the vote. In 2005 and 2010, the BNP saved their deposit by polling more than 5% of the vote. The last time this percentage had been reached by a candidate in Walsall North in other than the top three parties had been 1976.
Elections[]
Elections in the 2010s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Eddie Hughes | 23,334 | 63.8 | ![]() | |
Labour | Gill Ogilvie | 11,369 | 31.1 | ![]() | |
Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Gray | 1,236 | 3.4 | ![]() | |
Green | Mark Wilson | 617 | 1.7 | New | |
Majority | 11,965 | 32.7 | ![]() | ||
Turnout | 36,556 | 54.4 | ![]() | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ![]() |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Eddie Hughes | 18,919 | 49.6 | ![]() | |
Labour | David Winnick | 16,318 | 42.8 | ![]() | |
UKIP | Elizabeth Hazell | 2,295 | 6.0 | ![]() | |
Liberal Democrats | Isabelle Parasram | 586 | 1.5 | ![]() | |
Majority | 2,601 | 6.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 38,118 | 57.3 | ![]() | ||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | ![]() |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 14,392 | 39.0 | ![]() | |
Conservative | Douglas Hansen-Luke | 12,455 | 33.8 | ![]() | |
UKIP | Elizabeth Hazell | 8,122 | 22.0 | ![]() | |
Liberal Democrats | Nigel Jones | 840 | 2.3 | ![]() | |
TUSC | Peter Smith | 545 | 1.5 | ![]() | |
Green | Mike Harrison | 529 | 1.4 | New | |
Majority | 1,937 | 5.2 | ![]() | ||
Turnout | 36,883 | 55.0 | ![]() | ||
Labour hold | Swing | ![]() |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 13,385 | 37.0 | ![]() | |
Conservative | Helyn Clack | 12,395 | 34.3 | ![]() | |
Liberal Democrats | Nadia Fazal | 4,754 | 13.1 | ![]() | |
BNP | Christopher Woodall | 2,930 | 8.1 | ![]() | |
UKIP | Elizabeth Hazell | 1,737 | 4.8 | ![]() | |
Democratic Labour | Peter Smith | 842 | 2.3 | ![]() | |
Christian | Babar Shakir | 144 | 0.4 | New | |
Majority | 990 | 2.7 | ![]() | ||
Turnout | 36,187 | 55.5 | ![]() | ||
Labour hold | Swing | ![]() |
Elections in the 2000s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 15,990 | 47.8 | ![]() | |
Conservative | Ian Lucas | 9,350 | 28.0 | ![]() | |
Liberal Democrats | Douglas Taylor | 4,144 | 12.4 | ![]() | |
BNP | William Locke | 1,992 | 6.0 | New | |
UKIP | Anthony Lenton | 1,182 | 3.5 | ![]() | |
Democratic Labour | Peter Smith | 770 | 2.3 | New | |
Majority | 6,640 | 19.8 | ![]() | ||
Turnout | 33,428 | 52.8 | ![]() | ||
Labour hold | Swing | ![]() |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 18,779 | 58.1 | ![]() | |
Conservative | Melvin Pitt | 9,388 | 29.1 | ![]() | |
Liberal Democrats | Michael Heap | 2,923 | 9.0 | ![]() | |
UKIP | Jenny Mayo | 812 | 2.5 | New | |
Socialist Alliance | David Church | 410 | 1.3 | New | |
Majority | 9,391 | 29.0 | ![]() | ||
Turnout | 32,312 | 49.0 | ![]() | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1990s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 24,517 | 56.6 | ![]() | |
Conservative | Michael Bird | 11,929 | 27.6 | ![]() | |
Liberal Democrats | Tracy O'Brien | 4,050 | 9.4 | ![]() | |
Referendum | Derek Bennett | 1,430 | 3.3 | New | |
Independent | Melvin Pitt | 911 | 2.1 | New | |
National Front | Alan Humphries | 465 | 1.1 | ![]() | |
Majority | 12,588 | 29.0 | ![]() | ||
Turnout | 43,302 | 64.1 | ![]() | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 24,387 | 46.7 | ![]() | |
Conservative | Robert Syms | 20,563 | 39.4 | ![]() | |
Liberal Democrats | AR Powis | 6,629 | 12.7 | ![]() | |
National Front | KA Reynolds | 614 | 1.2 | New | |
Majority | 3,824 | 7.3 | ![]() | ||
Turnout | 52,193 | 75.0 | ![]() | ||
Labour hold | Swing | ![]() |
Elections in the 1980s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 21,458 | 42.6 | +0.1 | |
Conservative | Leah Hertz | 19,668 | 39.0 | +2.3 | |
Liberal | Ian Shires | 9,285 | 18.4 | -2.3 | |
Majority | 1,790 | 3.6 | -2.2 | ||
Turnout | 50,411 | 73.8 | +2.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 20,782 | 42.5 | ||
Conservative | N. Stephens | 17,958 | 36.7 | ||
Liberal | A. Bentley | 10,141 | 20.7 | ||
Majority | 2,824 | 5.8 | |||
Turnout | 48,881 | 71.0 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1970s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Winnick | 26,913 | 50.9 | -8.6 | |
Conservative | Robin Hodgson | 21,047 | 39.8 | +13.7 | |
Liberal | A Bentley | 3,778 | 7.1 | -6.3 | |
National Front | C Parker | 1,098 | 2.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 5,866 | 11.1 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 52,836 | 72.3 | +5.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robin Hodgson | 16,212 | 43.4 | ![]() | |
Labour | David Winnick | 11,833 | 31.6 | ![]() | |
Independent | Sidney Wright | 4,374 | 11.7 | New | |
National Front | Joseph Parker | 2,724 | 7.3 | New | |
Liberal | Fran Oborski | 1,212 | 3.2 | ![]() | |
Socialist Workers | James McCallum | 574 | 1.5 | New | |
National Party | Marian Powell | 258 | 0.7 | New | |
Ecology | Jonathan Tyler | 181 | 0.5 | New | |
Air, Road, Public Safety, White Resident | Bill Boaks | 30 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 4,379 | 11.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 37,398 | ||||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +22.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Stonehouse | 28,340 | 59.5 | -4.1 | |
Conservative | Robin Hodgson | 12,455 | 26.1 | -8.7 | |
Liberal | W Gill | 6,337 | 13.4 | New | |
Communist | J Richards | 465 | 1.0 | -0.6 | |
Majority | 15,885 | 33.4 | +4.6 | ||
Turnout | 47,597 | 66.6 | -5.5 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Stonehouse | 32,458 | 63.6 | ||
Conservative | Robin Hodgson | 17,754 | 34.8 | ||
Communist | J Richards | 819 | 1.6 | ||
Majority | 14,704 | 28.8 | |||
Turnout | 51,031 | 72.1 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Wells | 27,543 | 57.1 | -8.0 | |
Conservative | A John Barnes | 20,128 | 41.7 | +6.8 | |
Communist | Graham Stevenson | 597 | 1.2 | New | |
Majority | 7,415 | 15.4 | -14.8 | ||
Turnout | 48,268 | 66.8 | -4.1 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Wells | 29,710 | 65.1 | +3.7 | |
Conservative | A John L Barnes | 15,953 | 34.9 | -3.7 | |
Majority | 13,757 | 30.2 | +7.4 | ||
Turnout | 45,663 | 70.9 | -1.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Wells | 27,842 | 61.4 | +0.4 | |
Conservative | A John L Barnes | 17,518 | 38.6 | -0.4 | |
Majority | 10,324 | 22.8 | +0.8 | ||
Turnout | 45,360 | 71.9 | -4.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1950s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Wells | 27,693 | 61.0 | -1.5 | |
Conservative | James G Ackers | 17,741 | 39.0 | +1.5 | |
Majority | 9,952 | 22.0 | -3.0 | ||
Turnout | 45,434 | 76.7 | -0.3 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Wells | 26,665 | 62.5 | ||
National Liberal and Conservative | Francis R Roberts | 15,970 | 37.5 | ||
Majority | 10,695 | 25.0 | |||
Turnout | 42,635 | 77.0 | |||
Labour win (new seat) |
See also[]
Notes and references[]
- Notes
- ^ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- ^ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
- ^ The others being: Walsall South and Aldridge-Brownhills.
- References
- ^ "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ Hughes's gain was one of six gains offset by greater losses (13 net seats lost) for his party in the 2017 results nationwide. In 2017 the two largest parties increased their share of the vote largely in England at the expense of UKIP.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 1)
- ^ Unemployment claimants by constituency The Guardian
- ^ "Election 2010 – Walsall North". BBC News. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "Conservative top target seats to win the 2015 general election with an overall majority". Mirror. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "Walsall North parliamentary constituency – Election 2015". BBC News. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ List of Labour MPs elected in 2015 by % majority UK Political.info. Retrieved 2017-01-29
- ^ "Walsall North Parliamentary constituency". BBC Online. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Walsall North Parliamentary constituency". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 16 July 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Walsall North [Archive]". www.politicsresources.net.
- ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
- ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1987. Politics Resources. 11 June 1987. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
- ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1983. Politics Resources. 9 June 1983. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1979. Politics Resources. 28 May 1979. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1979. Politics Resources. 10 October 1974. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1979. Politics Resources. 28 February 1974. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1970. Politics Resources. 18 June 1970. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1966. Politics Resources. 31 March 1966. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
- ^ [2]
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1966. Politics Resources. 15 October 1964. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
- ^ [3]
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1959. Politics Resources. 8 October 1959. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
- ^ [4]
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1955. Politics Resources. 26 May 1955. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
- ^ [5]
- Politics of Walsall
- Parliamentary constituencies in the West Midlands (county)
- Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1955